Allspark Child
by Alexandria Prime
Summary: When she was three, her world was taken away... When she was ten, a new world opened to her... Arianna Ariel Prime, formerly known as Katrina Leira, is connected to the cybertronian afterlife- the Allspark. Almost eight years after discovering this, she is thrust into the cybertronian war. *Full summary inside!* *Rated T because I'm paranoid. Also some heart-wrenching stuff*
1. Shattered World

**I'm probably not going to say a lot of stuff at the beginning of all these chapters until later on. Or I might, but I'll just be responding to your comments.**

_**When she was three, her world was taken away...**_

_**When she was eleven, a new world appeared to her...**_

_**Arianna Ariel Prime, formerly know as Katrina Leira, is connected to the Cybertronian afterlift- the Allspark. Almost eight years after discovering them, she is thrust into the Cybertronian war. But not only will she have to juggle dead Cybertronians, a civil war, and a few friends pulled along for the ride, but she will aslo have to face the demons of her past- and the destiny that lies on the road in front of her.**_

_**Cover art done by Bluedolphen 2212, a friend of mine on Wattpad. Thanks Blue!**_

Thomas Leira sped through the door, swiftly closing and locking it behind him. "Honey?" He turned to his wife Abigail, sitting on the living room sofa with their three year-old daughter Katrina.

"He found us." he said, causing her to gasp, "they're coming."

"Do we run?" she asked, picking up Katrina and standing.

"We don't have any time," he said, "I don't think we can."

"Quite right, Thomas."

The two adults turned to see a military-looking man standing at the door in the kitchen, biting onto one of the freshly made cookies that Abigail and Katrina had made. "It's been a long time, you two." said the man, brushing crumbs from his fingers as he finished the cookie.

Katrina had frozen in her mother's arms, looking at the man in fear. Her parents obviously didn't like him, so she immediately didn't like him either.

"Leland." said her father, a slight growl in his voice. No one noticed his arm shift, almost like he was getting ready to pull something out.

"Please, Thomas. I go by Silas now," said the man, smirking slightly. "Abigail, it's nice to see you again. And this must be your daughter. What is her name?"

"None of your business, Leland," said the young mother, moving her body slightly so that she was facing the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

"Now, now. No need to be so angry," he told them. His gaze hardened as he asked, "Your time is up. So what is your answer? Will you join me? Or will you die?"

"We both gave you our answer when you first kicked down the door," said Thomas, "We say no."

"Never," added Abigail.

Silas gave a disappointed sigh and said, "You would have been a fine part of my new world order. A pity that it has to end this way." A hand raised up to a button on his wrist.

"RUN ABIGAIL!" yelled Thomas. A knife leapt from his jacket sleeve and he slashed at Silas, who darted backwards, looking surprised, and Abigail rushed to the hallway, still carrying Katrina.

The two girls stopped at Katrina's room, and the mother quickly set her down and started pulling out Katrina's crib and removed the carpet, revealing a heavy-looking trap door. Abigail and Thomas had known that Silas would come after them, so they had made the trap door. Hopefully, it would be worth it. She lifted it up and put her daughter on the ladder that led downwards. "Stay down there and stay quiet, okay honey?" said Abigail.

Katrina nodded. "Are you coming?" she asked in the innocent- yet slightly scared voice of a three year-old. And she was scared. She wanted her mommy and daddy to stay with her, to comfort her like they had always done whenever she had gotten scared.

Abigail didn't answer for a bit, struggling to control her emotions, finally whispering, "Mommy and daddy love you. Always remember that." She pulled off the long necklace with the silver-rimmed blue stone that her step-brother had given her and that she always wore, putting it around her neck. "Now GO!"

Katrina nodded and started down the ladder, her hands shaking so much that she nearly fell several times. As soon as Katrina had reached the bottom, her mother closed the door, putting back the carpet and pulling the crib back into place, then rushed back into the living room to help her husband, pulling a knife from her own belt.

Masked troopers were already pouring into the house, and Thomas' body laid in the middle of the room, several bullet holes in his body and Silas rubbing a bloody cut that stretched across his face. He turned in surprise as Abigail gave a scream of anger, slashing the knife several times more across Silas' face and leaving him more scars. Then the guns rang out again, and her body fell to the floor in a limp bundle right across her husband, her hand on top of his.

"What about their daughter?" asked an official looking soldier. Silas looked around the house a bit more, blinking the blood that streamed into his eyes and said, "Pull back MECH and put a bomb right here in the middle. She won't survive."

**()**

Katrina shivered in the cold basement, a small light flickering next to her. She was holding the necklace that her mother had given her, rubbing it as she had seen her mother done so many times. Where were her mommy and daddy? What were those weird noises that came from above her? She was scared.

Then, her world spiraled into chaos.

A massive burst of fire shot down from the trap door, nearly engulfing her and burning her. She gave a scream of fright as a part of the ceiling caved down in front of her, knocking the light away.

She stayed there, too scared to move as if the burning rubble would leap up and grab her and pull her to the ground.

The fireman and the police quickly arrived on the scene after the neighbors frantically called them. A fireman found the partially collapsed hole and pulled out the terrorized and shocked little girl, giving her to the paramedics.

Thomas and Abigail Leria were dead, both of them shot multiple times. Katrina had survived due to her parents quick thinking. Unfortunately, Katrina was too much in shock to say anything about her attackers except for one name that she only said once. A name that she would remember for the rest of her life.

_Silas._

**()**

_[7 years later]_

On top of the flat roof of the Richmond Children's Orphanage sat a young girl. She looked at the traffic zooming around on the street below her. She touched the silver-lined blue stone necklace around her neck and gave a small sad sigh.

Katrina Leria was a tall, lanky 10 year old. It had been seven pain-filled years ever since her parents died and her world turned upside down. Her pale blue eyes had a sad look around them, and her hair, once a brilliant black, had turned a pale snow white, which doctors said was from shock.

She was, as grown-ups said, a child that had grown up too early.

At the sound of footsteps behind her, she gave a sigh and stood up, seeing the orphanages' resident 13 year-old bullies, a pudgy red haired boy that looked like Dudley from the Harry Potter movies. Beside him flanked two smaller, even chubbier kids. The red-haired boy gave a small smirk and said in a slight sneering voice, "What'cha doing up here, Ghost?"

Katrina rolled her eyes at the nickname. It was obviously because of her white hair and her staying quiet most of the time. "None of your business, Chubbs." she said quietly.

Chubbs Darris had arrived at the orphanage only a few months after she had. He had instantly been a favorite of a lot of the kids, even having a small group around him a lot. He had instantly started teasing her on account of her silence and her white hair- secretly, so that the orphanage leaders didn't see him.

Chubbs obviously didn't like the answer, and his two cronies chuckled as he marched up and said, "Well, you need to have a reason. This is my spot, and I'm the only one allowed up here."

"It's a free for all, Chubbs," she said, "Anyone can come up here, not just you."

"Not my rules," he said, "Now get moving. I wanna be up here now, so get off!"

Before he could push her out of the way, she dashed to the side, causing him to stumble slightly and turn, an angry look on his face. "You're supposed to stay still! Get her boys!"

Katrina froze as the two boys rushed her. She always got frightened whenever someone rushed her. She was paralyzed with fear.

Then, a rough, Southern sounding voice in her head said, _Move it, kid!_

She instantly darted to the side, allowing the two chubby boys to run past her and turn, a little bit of shock on their faces.

"Well," said Chubbs, "looks like someone finally got some guts. Let's teach you a lesson." He walked over to a small shed on the top of the roof. Opening the door, he pulled out two crudely carved branches that were supposed to resemble swords, and tossed one over to her, saying, "Whoever wins gets the roof."

Katrina picked up the crude sword, watching as Chubbs held his loosely. Instantly, a female voice began criticizing his technique. _Oh honestly. He isn't holding his sword right. I bet he can't use it either! I mean honestly-._

_Okay, whoever is talking in my head right now, please shut up,_ the young girl quickly thought. She was pretty sure she heard another, younger male voice say, _She can hear us?_ as she took up a ready stance.

The female voice began giving her a few tips. _Hold it with both hands and raise it up a little. Little bit more. There! Now, spread your feet slightly. No, not that far. Shoulder-width. There! Now get ready!_ Katrina nodded as Chubbs dashed forward with a yell, swinging his branch wildly.

Katrina froze slightly before darting to the side, allowing him to run past. The voice said, _Now slap his-!_

_Honestly, she's ten Chromia. No need to teach her any new diction,_ interrupted another voice, this one sounding wiser and with a slight hint of humor. _Raise your blade, quickly!_

Katrina held up her sword, stopping a down slash from the older boy. "You gonna fight sometime, Ghost?" said Chubbs mockingly as he backed away.

With the new voices in her head edging her on and giving her battle advice- why she wasn't freaking out, she didn't know- she lunged forward before raising the sword and slapping the sides of it on either side of his cheeks with a speed she didn't know she had. Chubbs stumbled back, rubbing his cheeks before giving a shout of pain as she stepped on his foot with the heel of her shoe.

He hobbled back until he bumped into his cronies, and the three of them fell over backwards. The two other boys quickly scrambled upwards before heading to the fire escape. Chubbs watched them go before throwing his sword down in disgust and saying, "You win- for now." Then he darted after the others.

Katrina gave a small sight and sat down on the ground before saying to the voices in her mind, "Okay, so am I going crazy? Because I am getting a lot of voices in my head giving me tips on how to swing a sword."

_And how to hold one!_ added the voice named Chromia, _Your welcome by the way._

_Perhaps it would be better if I were to explain,_ said the wise voice. _Close your eyes, child._

Katrina shrugged, then leaned against the shed and closed her eyes. Instantly, a bright light filled her vision and she felt her eyes widen when she saw the massive robot enter her vision.

He was a robot. A tall robot. Like, really tall. And he was mostly white, with the curves in his armor edged in gold. Several golden shafts of metal came out of his back, appearing as a pair of wings. What really struck her were his eyes. They were a brilliant white, and the look in them made her think of a parent... much like her mother had looked at her.

"This is probably a little too imposing," said the robot. "No," said Katrina quickly, "It's alright."

"You do not seem that shocked," said the robot, looking at her curiously.

"After you've seen the things that I've seen, you don't really get that surprised anymore," said Katrina, looking down, "I lost my world when I was three. I've been tormented ever since I got here. Nothing really shocks me anymore." Then, looking up at him, she asks, "So, who, or what, are you?"

The robot gave a slight bow as he said, "My name is Primus. I am the god and creator of a group of sentient machines called Cybertronians. So does that surprise you?"

"Not really. I figured aliens existed out there somewhere."

Primus seemed to be thinking for a few seconds, then asked, "Do you know anything about the voices inside your head?"

"Not really. Some of those Cybertronians you mentioned?"

Primus rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded like, "You're more bland than Shockwave." Then he said, "Well, yes... and no. They are Cybertronians. But they are not... living, I guess you could say."

Katrina's eyebrows rose at that. "So, I've got a bunch of dead robots stuck in my head?"

"No." said Primus, "They didn't come to you. Your mind went to them."

"Sorry?" said Katrina, one eyebrow arching up. That got her.

Primus thought for a few seconds, then said, "Humans have a heaven. Cybertronians have one too. It is called the Allspark. It chose you for a reason. To help with the battles to come."

"What... 'battles'?" she asked, suddenly worried.

"Some physical." said Primus, "Others mental. The demons of your past, and the demons of now. Much like how the demons of the past have found you once again."

"Wait, what?" Katrina opened her eyes and stood, rushing over to the side of the roof to see several masked men pouring out. She didn't notice them. The only person she did notice was the scar-faced, tall man with a blond buzz-cut.

"Silas." she snarled.


	2. New World

The tall, dark African-american man looked out the window at the sudden cars that were pulling up at the orphanage across the street. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the masked men piling out, being led by a scar-faced man. He quickly realized what was going on and turned to the walkie-talkie on the table. "Agent Fowler to Richmond base, come in. Over!"

_*We have you Agent Fowler. What is your status? Over!*_

"Armed and masked men are headed into the Richmond Orphanage. Requesting immediate backup! Over!"

**()**

"_I'm surprised ya still remember 'im kid,"_ said the southern voice as Katrina backed away from the edge of the roof before the men could see her.

"Would you forget the guy who ruined your life?" she asked him, "What's your name by the way?"

"_Ironhide. And... ah see yer point."_ he said as she started towards the shed, intending to hide in it.

"_That won't hide you for long, kid," _ said Chromia. "Well then, where would you recommend that I hide?" she asked, stopping.

"_If I may make a recommendation,"_ said Primus. Katrina cocked her head to the side as the god explained, _"As well as you being connected to the Allspark, you now have access to powers that you didn't have before."_

"_What kind of powers?"_ asked Katrina, suddenly intrigued.

"_Any kind you want, kid! Invisibility, super strength, flight, transformation- you name it!"_ This voice sounded very cocky and made the edges of her mouth twitch upwards for a second. _"Aw man! So close! But you lose, Micronus! I was close!"_

"_A slight twitch does not count, Amalgamos,"_ said another voice, this one sounding slightly stern-ish.

"Did you guys make a bet on whether you can make me smile?" said Katrina incredulously.

"_Maybe...?"_ came the first voice, sounding a little bit sheepish.

"_May we get back to the powers?"_ asked Primus, sounding a little bit resigned. The first voice chuckled while the second one gave a sigh. _"Now, all you have to do is concentrate on which power you want. In this case, cloaking. Not just turning invisible. When you cloak, you also hide your heat-signature, which the soldiers might use to try and find you up here."_

"_How do I do it?"_

"_Just concentrate. Imagine yourself disappearing entirely. Not just your body, but the heat that you emanate. Your heartbeat, your intakes, everything. And quickly. The soldiers are about to enter the building."_

**()**

Several of the younger kids screamed as the armed soldiers entered the room, starting to shepherd them into a smaller room. "Start going down the fire escape. We're only looking for one person." said Silas. He now had a mask that covered the lower part of his face and a pair of sunglasses that covered his eyes, so he was effectively hidden.

All the children and grown-up started headed down the fire escape as more soldiers headed upstairs. One of them approached Silas and said, "Sir, we just received that the Richmond Army Base is headed here. Must be an agent nearby."

"How long?" asked Silas.

"Approximately 20 minutes, sir."

"Comb the building and find Katrina Leira. Did you check the rest of the orphans?" 

"She's not with them, sir."

"Then she's somewhere in here. Find her and shoot on sight. She'll be joining her parents soon."

**()**

Five soldiers emerged onto the roof, looking around with their goggles. "Check the shed over there," said one of them, motioning to the rickety shed in the middle.

Another of the soldiers walked towards it, opening it and looking inside. "No one here sir!" he said.

The soldier nodded and contacted their leader. "Sir, no one on the roof. She must've hidden somewhere else, because we can't find her."

_*Retreat,*_ said Silas, _*Army's nearly here.*_

The soldier nodded and motioned for the rest of the soldiers to get off the roof. One of them looked at the shed again. "What is it?" asked his companion.

"Thought my heat-sig. goggles got something for a second. Oh well," he replied.

As soon as all the soldiers were gone, the air next to the shed rippled. Katrina let out the air that she was holding in and slid down to the ground. "That was close," she said to thin air.

"_Well, you made it,"_ said Amalgamos, _"and not a moment too soon."_

**()**

Katrina sat at the desk of the orphanage office, thinking about everything that had just happened. After the police and army had arrived, unfortunately not finding the terrorists and Silas, they had started talking to everyone. She was the last one to be talked to.

She looked up as the agent entered the room, "Agent Fowler," he said, introducing himself. He sat down behind the desk and said, "I know who you are, Katrina. After your... attack, the government asked me to keep an eye on you in case you got attacked again. Were those guys who attacked after you?"

She stayed silent for a few seconds, then said, "I saw Silas."

Fowler thought for a few seconds, then said, "Well, that answers that question. Now the next question is, what are we gonna do to protect you?"

Katrina looked up at him as he continued, "You'd probably be hunted. Silas knows that you're alive still, so he'd come after you again. Which means it's not safe here for you anymore."

"Do you have any suggestions?" she asked him.

Fowler raised a head at her slight grown-up talk and her unsurprised attitude, then he said, "I do actually. We found out a couple of days ago that you have a step-uncle. Unfortunately," he said, at her suddenly curious look, "he doesn't have the paperwork to take care of you. But we can put you in a foster home now. And, to add to it." He held up some official-looking paperwork and said, "We can change your name too. You'd be double hidden."

Katrina thought for a few seconds then asked, "What should my name be?"

"Your choice," he said, not knowing that she wasn't talking to him.

"_Now that's a toughie,"_ said Ironhide, "_Ahm not a name expert."_

"_May I name a suggestion?" _said Primus, _"How about..."_

Katrina listened to the name and nodded. Then, she looked up at Agent Fowler and said, "Prime. Arianna Ariel Prime."

Fowler raised an eyebrow at the unusual name, but said, "If it's what you want. Don't know anyone named Prime, though."

"_Well you do,"_ Amalgamos said to the newly named Arianna. At that, she gave a small smile. _"I DID IT! I DID IT! I win Micronus!"_

"_Slag it!"_ said Micronus.

And with that, Arianna's new life began.

**()**

_[Arianna's journal- 1 1/2 years later]_

_Still in my San Antonio foster home. The two younger kids are pretty nice, but the kid I heard about previously picked on me a lot. But, a couple of months ago, I taught him a bit of a lesson. He didn't pick on me or the other kids after that. He left about 3 months ago. Was I sorry to see him leave? Well... here's me surprising myself and saying that I do a bit. I guess you get more attached to the kids when they're kind back. Also when there's not that many of them._

_So, besides cloaking, I've also mastered energy blasts, telepathy, telekinesis- or is it called psychokinesis? I get them mixed up, but I like psychokinesis. Prima is saying that it's telekinesis. Meh.- and I've recently learned how to go super fast. Sure helps when I need to get to school in a hurry. I keep on asking the Primes when I can learn how to fly, because I really want to. But Primus says I just need to wait. He says he's gonna teach me to do something tomorrow. Hope it's fun._

_[Next day]_

"So, what am I learning today?" Arianna- or Aria as she liked calling herself- asked the voices in her mind. She was at her secret spot outside the city- a couple of hills outside the city with a few caves peppering the hills.

"_First,"_ said Micronus, _"Time for you to meet another one of the Primes- Hey Onyx! You're up buddy!"_

As like she always did whenever she was meeting a new cybertronian, she closed her eyes. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw Onyx Prime. He was a massive beast-like cybertronian, with crests on his helm, jagged pieces of armor, and clawed servos and feet. (Yes, she had learned what cybertronians label their parts) As he stood in front of her, he suddenly transformed with a flourish. Now standing on front of her was a massive dragon-like cybertronian.

"Cool," she finally said.

The dragon bowed his head and said in a growling voice, "Greetings, little sister. I am Onyx Prime, the first and only Predacon Prime."

_Predacons must be what they call dragons and stuff,_ she thought to herself. Another one of the first thing Primus had taught her was how to shield her thoughts from the others. So, she didn't have the chatting all day, but most of the time.

"So, what am I learning today?" she asked.

Onyx bowed his helm until it was close to her, then said, "Empty your mind. Forget that you are a human. Leave yourself behind."

Aria nodded, then took a deep breath. The image of Onyx in front of her faded, and all she could see was darkness. But his voice was still there, coaching her. _"Now, concentrate on something. An animal, something you've seen on your TV, anything."_

Arianna thought for a bit, then remembered the new How to Train Your Dragon movie she had seen with the rest of her foster family a few weeks before. She thought about the Night fury that was in it. It was probably the only thing that she liked about the movie. An image of Toothless came to her mind, and she selected it.

No sooner had she done that, she felt herself on all fours, something swishing behind her, and she felt a little bit taller. She opened her eyes and looked down, nearly giving a startled yelp. Her hands, now on on the ground, were now black paws, and when she flexed them, a couple of claws darted out. A small pool of water nearby, a quick look behind her and a clumsy flap of her wings confirmed her suspicions. She was a Night fury.

She quickly cloaked before taking to the air with a happy roar. She soared high over the city, looking down at all the cars and people. She was flying! She was actually flying!

_[Arianna's diary- 1 1/2 years later]_

_So, I'm leaving tomorrow. Michel and his little sister Melody are pretty sad that I'm gonna be leaving. Anyway, Agent Fowler says that I'll be headed to Chicago next. Mirage, Hound and the others took a look around my area and said that it was close to a gang territory- and it's the only way to get to school._

_But, y'know, I honestly can't help but chuckle at that. Those guys won't know what hit them._

_I've been transforming into a bunch of animals lately. A squirrel, a dog, a cat, a wolf, a lot of animals. Plus, I've learned to fly on my own a couple of days ago. That was the day I forgot to write in my journal. Probably because, for once, I was too excited in my life._

_Gonna have to be a short entry because I can hear Melody knocking. Time for bed._


	3. Like Family

_[Arianna'__s diary- 4 months later]_

_It's almost time for school to begin in Chicago. A lot of the other kids in the foster home are pretty worried about going through the gang territory to get to school. But I told them not to worry. Chromia, Ironhide, Prima and Onyx have been teaching me a lot of combat. _

_I did also manage to find a place to practice with my powers and learn some new ones. It's this tall, abandoned white building with a lot of angel statues on the corners. I always practice on the bottom floor- the angel statues remind me of Doctor Who. I never liked The Weeping Angels._

_Anyway, I gotta wake up early tomorrow. Till next time._

**()**

_[Next day]_

Arianna looked at the kids that were swarming around the alleyway. It was the quickest way to get to school for them. But it was also the entrance to one of the 'major' gang territories- The Purple Dragon. Must've been started by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fans.

The group looked at her as she came forward. Her long white hair was now tied back into a ponytail, and she wore a dark blue vest over a white short-sleeved shirt. The edges of her long black pants were stuffed into her dull gray combat boots. And her blue stone necklace was in its usual place around her neck. "I'll handle this," she said to the group.

Their eyes widened. "You sure?" asked a 16 year old boy, "Purple Dragons are nasty."

"I've seen nastier," she told him. Then, she walked into the alley.

"_Ya sure 'bout this kid?"_ asked Ironhide. A slight note of worry was in his voice, though she could hear the undercurrent of pride.

"_Ironhide,"_ she replied, _"__I've seen my parents die, nearly got killed twice by the same people, and plus, you wouldn't believe what Prima and Onyx put me through to train me. Honestly, they can be pretty brutal sometimes."_

"_Sorry,"_ said Prima, _"__Comes with the job. And have you noticed that you're being watched?"_

"_Yup. Dragons?"_

"_Dragons."_

Arianna stopped and said, "You might as well come out. I know you're out there."

Four young adults appeared from behind trash cans and corners. Three boys and a girl. The girl- a pale-skinned, purple-haired Japanese looking sixteen year-old- stepped up to her and said, "Well, what do we have here? A little ghost out for a walk?"

"_Oh boy,"_ came a cheeky sounding voice that she recognized as Sideswipe, _"She's a button pusher. She likes pushing buttons. You offlined your self-destruct button, right?"_

"_No,"_ she responded. Ironhide and Chromia gave dark chuckles. She turned to the girl and said, "You don't look that living yourself."

"_So she has been paying attention to snarking back class! I was wondering," _ said Sideswipe's brother, Sunstreaker.

"_Of course I pay attention,"_ she told him, then realized that the girl was saying, "Are you even paying attention to me? You don't ignore Purple Dragons, you little Casper!"

"_Alert! Alert! Alert! Self-destruct button has just been unlocked! Violet Lizard lady's finger is preparing to push! Permission granted for her to press?"_ That was Amalgamos. The Terror Twins were laughing their helms off at that.

Aria's light smile made the Purple Dragon girl stop her rant and say, "Are you mocking me?!"

"Tell you what," said Aria, "If you let all the kids that need to go to school come through here, I won't hurt any of you."

"Only if they join," said the girl with an evil smile, "You too. And if you hurt me, the rest of my Purple Dragons will attack you until you're done."

"And how many Purple Dragons are there?"

"About a hundred."

"_She's lying,"_ said Mirage, _"I saw the meeting. There's only six more besides these four."_

So to drive the point home, Aria said, "I can take on all ten of you."

The Purple Dragon's leader's eyes widened, then she punched forward with an angry yell. Aria simply stepped to the side, grabbed her wrist, and flipped her over her back, slamming her into the pavement.

The three boys looked on in shock, then one of them rushed forward with a yell. Aria turned, fast as a cheetah, (she was slightly using her powers. Sue her) and slammed her fist into his middle. When the other two charged her, she kicked underneath one, knocking his legs out from under him, and grabbed the other boy's arm, slamming his clenched fist into his face, giving him a healthy black eye.

The girl charged her again, but she flipped over her and slammed her feet into her back. Aria leaned down a bit and asked, "Are we good?" The girl quickly nodded, fear in her eyes. Aria let her go, and she and the other boys scrambled to their feet, she added, "And if you send anyone after me, I'm coming for you."

The four teens rushed away, and Aria looked behind her. "Safe!" she yelled.

The group of teens and kids at the start of the alley came cautiously forward, but when they saw Aria perfectly alright, they rushed though the pass, heading for school. The elder boy stayed behind, talking with her as well as an older Hispanic girl. "What did you do?" asked the boy.

"Taught the leader of the Purple Dragons a lesson," replied Aria, smiling slightly.

"_A lesson?"_ asked Hound, _"She's still running!"_

The Hispanic girl chuckled and said, "I'm Reyna, by the way. What exactly did you do, _amigo_? I heard a fight."

"What do you think?" asked Aria, "I'm Aria."

"Issac," said the boy, "C'mon. We'll be late for school."

The three of them took off running, catching up to the other kids as they rushed o school.

**()**

_[Arianna's diary- that night]_

_First day of school was certainly eventful. I fought off the Purple Dragons and made the alley-way to school safe. I even saw that Japanese girl at school. Have to wonder if the purple hair was a wig. Her hair was actually black. She looked pretty scared when she saw me. Have to wonder why?_

_Speaking of other kids, I met two older kids at the alley. Issac and Reyna. They're brother and sister, actually, although I couldn't tell. They're pretty nice to me, even though they're in a different grade then me. I'm not sure if I should tell them my story. I don't really know._

_Everyone in the Allspark is pretty happy that I've found some new friends. I try not to miss Michel and Melody, but I do. They were like siblings to me._

_My foster parents are knocking. Time for bed._

**()**

_[Reyna's house- 5 months later]_

"So, what are we doing?" asked Aria as Reyna sat her down on a chair in her mother's bedroom. Said mother was currently in the kitchen getting some lunch ready.

"Dying your hair," replied Reyna, pulling out various hair dyes. "My mother loves coloring her hair. But she uses so many dyes that she has them all on a shelf. I was thinking about you and how fun it would be to color your hair. You really don't want it white all the time, do you?"

"Well..." Aria paused. She wasn't really sure.

"_Oh c'mon kid!"_ said Amalgamos, _"I think it would do ya some good!"_

"Well, okay," she finally said, "What colors are there?"

"Every single one you can think of," said Reyna, motioning to the bottles on the table in front of them. "I'll let you pick the color. But my mama only has wild colors, so you can't have black or brown. So, what color do you want?"

The voices in her head instantly started piping up. _"Red! Do red!"_

"_No, yellow! Go for yellow!"_

"_Yellow wouldn't even show up. Do green!"_

"_Blue is the color to go. It would match your eyes."_

"_Purple! Actually, nah. Purple wouldn't suit you."_

"_Can you guys be quiet?"_ Aria finally asked. The voices fell silent as she viewed the colors in front of her. Finally, she said, "Blue. Slightly light blue."

"_Perfecto!_" said Reyna, picking up the bottle, "Any particular reason why?"

"Blue means hope," said Aria, "I think I oughta have some hope in my life."

**()**

_[2 hours later]_

"Reyna! Are you two done yet?" Issac yelled at the master bathroom door, "Mom says lunch is ready!"

"We're coming!" came the reply. Issac nodded and headed to the small kitchen. His mother looked up at him and asked, "Are they coming?"

"Reyna said that she was," said Issac, "Should be soon. I thought I heard a hair drier when I was at the door. They must be finishing up."

"Ta-da!"

The two of them turned around and gasped when they saw Aria. Her previously snow-white hair was now streaked with blue highlights. Her hair was parted on her right side, and her bangs were now a brilliant blue. They nearly fell into her eyes, but she had braided it up and pinned the braid on the left side of her head. The rest of her hair was pulled into a ponytail, the now blue and white hair falling over her right shoulder. "Well?" she asked in a nervous voice, "What do you think?"

After a few silent seconds, Issac's mom said, "It's _magnifico_! Just look at you! You're vibrant and alive! Just wonderful!"

Aria gave a nervous chuckle as Issac said, "Yeah! You're so pretty! Wait, what did I just say?"

"That you like it!" said Reyna, "Now c'mon! Lunch is ready!"

**()**

_[Arianna's diary- 2 years and 3 month later]_

_I was just reading the entry where Reyna had me change my hair. I gotta admit, I felt really good about doing that. And I'm not being called 'Ghost' anymore, so that's a plus._

_It's almost time for me to leave. I'm really gonna miss Issac and Reyna. They're like an older brother and sister to me. I love them so much. But they did decide to do something for me- a birthday party! Since I'm gonna be leaving on my birthday, they've decided to have a party for me the night before I leave! I've never even had a birthday party before. _

_They've been so kind to me, and I've decided. I'm gonna tell them. Tell them about my parents. Why I'm on the run. I just hope that they understand._

**()**

_[Party night- 1 day before departure]_

"And your last present!" declared Reyna. She pulled over a small box from the end of the table. Aria- almost 17 now- was smiling happily with the fun time that she was having. She had already gotten a new MP3 player with all of her favorite songs on it, a new set of clothes, and a bit of jewelry. She had to wonder what this last present was.

Aria tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box. She looked at the colorful binder in front of her. It already had something in it. "Open it," urged Issac.

Aria opened the binder and stared in shock at what was in it. They were pictures! She recognized some of them too. One was of the three of them standing in front of the school gym. Aria was standing between Reyna and Issac, who had their arms around her. Another was when they were swimming together. Aria and Reyna were in the pool while Issac was jumping in mid-air from the diving board. Then, there they were at a school dance. Issac had pulled her into a dance and Reyna laughing from the side of the camera at the uncomfortable look on Aria's face. If she remembered, the femmes- Solus Prime, Chromia, Nauticia, Moonracer and a few others- were cheering her on. That was why she was blushing in the picture.

"There's a little bit more," said Reyna, turning the book past some blank pages and opening a marked section. Aria's jaw dropped at the pictures that were there.

They were her parents! Her mom and dad's wedding photos, a whole family photo at the wedding, and a couple of date pictures. She turned the page. A couple more date photos. Obviously from when they were already married. They were often holding up their hands to display their wedding rings. A few in army uniforms, a few where her mother was pregnant. Where her mother was pregnant...

She wasn't usually so emotional, but when she turned the page again, tears came to her eyes when she saw the few pictures that were there. Her mother, or her father, were holding a young baby with a few wisps of black hair on her small head. She was often sleeping, and her parents were always smiling.

The last two pages had a self-portrait of her mom and another self-portrait of her dad. And the last portrait had a picture of her mom and dad in a kiss, underneath a full moon.

Aria stared frozen at the last picture in shock. Then, she turned to her friends and asked, "How did you-?"

"Asked Agent Fowler if there were any pictures of your parents," explained Issac. "Your step-uncle had an awful lot of them. Apparently he went on a few dates with them with his wife whenever they were able too. Do you... like it?"

Aria closed the book and held it to her chest, smiling. "I do," she finally said, "I love it. Thank you." Tears were streaming down her face and she smiled as Reyna and Issac pulled her into a hug.

Finally, Aria said, "Could we go to the roof?"

When they were up there, Aria said, "There's something I need to tell you. About why I need to leave tomorrow."

She told them about what had happened to her parents, and the three friends cried together under the stars.

**()**

When the morning came, Reyna and Issac went with her to the airport to see her off. "Where's Agent Fowler?" asked Issac as they walked through the airport.

"Don't know," said Aria, "I haven't heard from him for a few days. He said someone else was gonna be taking me to my new place."

"Who?" asked Reyna.

Before Aria could answer her, a voice called out, "Hey, Aria!"

The three friends turned. A tall man with brown hair, green eyes and wearing a suit jacket was heading towards them. "You... are Aria, right?"

"Yes," she said warily. _"It's okay kid,"_ said Ironhide, _"You can trust him."_

"Where's Agent Fowler?" asked Reyna.

"He has a new assignment," replied the man, "I'm Captain Lennox. I'm good friends with Agent Fowler. He asked me if I could take you to your new foster home. Plane's leaving in twenty minutes."

Aria nodded and turned towards Reyna and Issac. "I'm gonna miss you guys," she said, her throat tight.

"Don't be sad," said Reyna as the two friends pulled her into a hug, "Maybe we'll see each other again."

Aria thought about her powers and gave a small smile. "Yeah," she said, "I think we will."

"Oh!" said Issac, suddenly remembering something. He pulled out one of those instant photo cameras and said, "Captain Lennox. Do you think you could take a picture of us together? Just take two."

"Can do." The three friends got together against the wall and Lennox took two photos. "We'll take the second photo," said Reyna, "There's materials to put your photo in."

"Thanks you guys," said Aria. The three of them hugged again and then Aria and Lennox set off. She looked back and waved to her friends one last time.

"So," she asked Lennox, "Where am I going this time?"

"We'll be landing in Vegas," he replied, "then we'll take a car to Jasper."

"Jasper, Nevada?" she said incredulously.

"Heard of it?" he asked her.

"Brochure," she said. But she had actually heard it from the friends inside her head. Jasper, Nevada was the town that was closest to the Autobot base. She'd finally be meeting Team Prime!


	4. Jasper, Nevada

_[Jasper, Nevada- 2 days later]_

Arianna Ariel Prime stepped out of the car that Captain Lennox had rented to drive them to Jasper, Nevada. She examined the small, one-story house in front of her. "Well," said Lennox, "This is it."

The door opened. Out stepped a young-looking couple. _"That's Mr. and Mrs. Chavez,"_ said Ironhide, _"Nice people. Expecting a baby in a couple of months."_

"_That's nice," _Aria said back. She couldn't help thinking about her own parents. She brushed the thought to the side and gave a small smile as the two adults approached her. "Welcome to Jasper, Arianna," said Mr. Chavez.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, bobbing her head respectfully.

"Well," said Mrs. Chavez, "Let's help you in."

Arianna quickly grabbed her backpack as Mr. Chavez grabbed her suitcase. "I'm afraid that I have to get going," said Captain Lennox, "I'm meeting up with some friends. Catch you later!" Aria and the Chavez's waved goodbye as he hopped into his car and drove off, honking his horn goodbye.

"Well, right in here," said Mrs. Chavez. She led Aria to the door and into the house. Before Aria entered, she saw the forest green jeep parked at the curb, it's driver window facing her.

Aria cocked an eyebrow and tweaked her eyesight a little bit. A smile spread on her face when she saw the symbol on the grill. The Autobot symbol. She nodded her head slightly before entering her new home.

**()**

_*Boss, someone just entered the house you told me to watch. Someone who doesn't live there. At least, not until recently.*_

_*Description?*_

_*Young human female, around seventeen probably. About six feet tall. Navy blue jacket, gray jeans, and blue and silver combat boots. White hair with blue streaks. Top part of her hair was braided to one side.*_

_*Left side?*_

_*Left side.*_

_*Well done, Bulkhead. Return to base for now.*_

_*Right away, Optimus.*_

**()**

Aria sat on the edge of her bed, her now empty backpack off to one side of her bed and her belongings now in the proper places around her new room and her clothes in the drawer. The photo book that Reyna and Issac had given her was now resting on the bookshelf along with a few other books that she liked to read. And invisible on the far end of the shelf, was her diary, a gift from one of the kinder girls in the orphanage that she left seven years ago.

She looked out the window. She wasn't able to see the Autobot that she had seen at the curb. _"Who was that?"_ she asked a few Autobots in her head.

The Wrecker, Roadblock, answered her, _"Vehicle form might be from earth, but I'd recognize that big guy anywhere! That was Bulkhead! He used to be a part of the Wreckers but left to go join Team Prime at the battle of Thunderhead Pass. Before the Great War, he was a construction worker. He builds stuff, he breaks stuff, and that's about it. Wheeljack was sorry to see him go."_

"_Ah,"_ said Aria, nodding slightly, _"You guys think there might be more Autobots here?"_

"_Bulkhead's a part of Team Prime, ain't he?"_ said Ironhide, _"I wager the rest of the team is here on Earth as well. Including Opie! Now that will be fun!"_

"_But why was Bulkhead there?"_ she said,_ "You don't think he was looking for me, do you?"_

Everyone was silent for a bit, but she felt like they were arguing with someone. Finally, Amalgamos said, _"You better tell her, Prima. It was your idea in the first place."_

"_Very well,"_ said Prima. He gave a nervous intake before saying, _"Arianna. We may have... told Optimus who you are and where to find you."_

Aria's eyes widened before rolling her eyes and saying, _"Well of course you did. You guys can't keep anything quiet, can you."_

"_Hey! Leige is the guy who can't keep his trap shut!"_ yelled Nexus Prime.

"_OI! I can too!"_ said Leige Maximo. A loud chorus of laughter drowned out his sputtering protests. Arianna rolled her eyes again at that. She hadn't really liked Leige when she first met him. And he reminded her of Loki, helmet, paint scheme, personality, and all.

She finally decided to go explore around town and see her new home. Besides, she might get the chance to see some more Autobots.

**()**

_[Arianna's diary- that night]_

_Well, here I am in Jasper, Nevada. Not only is it the "Music Capital of the World"- the brochure lied- but it's also the town closest to the Autobot base. I even saw Bulkhead today! And the Primes said that they told Optimus Prime about me and my connection to the Allspark. And while I wandered around town a bit, I saw another Autobot. Ironhide identified him as Bumblebee. Bumblebee- the same warrior scout of Team Prime and who lost his voice to Megatron! I think I actually squealed a little bit on the inside._

_I'm planning on flying around a bit and seeing where I can practice my powers a bit. I thought I heard Mrs. Chavez say something about an old gully close to the bridge into town. I might check it out tomorrow._

**()**

_[Next day]_

Arianna flew above the deserts surrounding Jasper as a hawk, looking for something interesting. She thought that she saw a helicopter in the distance, but decided to ignore it for the time being.

Suddenly, explosion echoed from underneath her. Aria quickly stopped and looked below her, surprised to see a fight between a couple of Cybertronians- a Seeker with a heavy-hitter Decepticon and a red Autobot with his guns blazing, standing over a fallen blue Autobot femme, energon pouring from a missing arm.

She dove down, landing behind a small outcropping of rock and transformed, cloaking herself before peeking behind the corner. _"I don't believe it,"_ said Thundercracker.

"_What? What is it?"_ she asked.

"_It's Starscream! The Seeker is Starscream!"_

Aria's eyebrow rose before taking a peek at the gray Seeker that was firing his blasters at the red Autobot. She looked him over and ducked behind the rock again, biting her lip to stop her laughter from getting through.

"_Just let it out kid,"_ advised Ironhide.

"_I'm sorry,"_ she said, still trying to stop sniggering, _"But that's_ Starscream_?! He looks like a girl!"_

The voices in her head were silent for a while before loud laughter erupted from her mind._ "Oh! My! Primus! You are right! He does look like a girl!"_ yelled Skywarp, _"I never liked him anyways! But you're right! He screams like one too!"_

"_Guess they don't call him Star-_Scream_ for nothing, right?"_ guffawed Sunstreaker. His brother gave a loud_ *clunk*_ as he fell to the ground laughing hard.

As soon as they had calmed down, Aria asked, _"And the Autobots?"_

"_Cliffjumper and Arcee,"_ said Moonracer, _"But why haven't the rest of the Autobots showed up?"_

After a bit of silence, Perceptor provided the answer, _"Starscream is jamming their signals. They can't get through to base."_

"_Then let's change that."_ Aria quickly focused on conjuring up two Autobot signals and let them appear through the shielding that was covering the group. She let it hold as the fight continued, Starscream and the heavy-hitter quickly overpowering Cliffjumper. Starscream raised his claws above his head and Aria looked around. Where was Team Prime?

Finally, a swirling vortex of blue-green energy appeared. Two vehicles, a yellow and black Urbana 500 and a red and blue Peterbuilt semi-truck, which transformed into two more Autobots. _"Bee and Opie!"_ yelled Ironhide.

"No way," whispered Aria as the two Autobots defeated the heavy-hitter and sent Starscream running, "That's Optimus Prime?"

Optimus easily towered over the rest of the other Autobots present. A battle mask was secured over his face, with the rest of his helm a brilliant dark blue. His chest was a ruby red, with semi-truck windows secured over his chest. His arms were also red, with two pointed shoulder guards covering his shoulders, with an Autobot symbol on each shoulder. His legs were silver and blue, with his peds black. He honestly looked like, to her, how a leader should look.

Optimus picked up Arcee and carried her though the groundbridge, with Bumblebee- a young looking yellow and black Autobot with two door wings popping out of his back- grabbed her disconnected arm and helped Cliffjumper stagger through the groundbridge. Optimus paused at the entrance to the portal and turned, looking towards her. His bright blue optics gave a respective blink before the four Autobots entered.

She stared at the spot where the groundbridge was and said, "Leige..."

A dark cackle came in reply and Prima gave a angry sigh. _"Right. Back to the Matix."_

"_Aw, no! I wanted to-!"_ An angry growl stopped his tirade and he said, _"Alrght! Alright! I'm going!"_

**()**

_[Arianna's diary- 1 week later]_

_Just started school in Jasper. I'm a Senior this year, and it's not too bad here. A little bit dull if I have to be honest. Well, if you don't include the secret alien civil war that's going on right beneath your nose. Happened to notice Bumblebee parked on a curb close to the school. I guess Optimus wants to make sure that I'm not gonna get kidnapped or something. The only person I have to worry about is Silas, and I haven't seen him since I was ten and I highly doubt that Starscream knows about me._

_I've been practicing in the gully with my powers. No one's seen me yet, but as a precaution, Primus is telling me to keep it to not very showy powers. Still, only a matter of time before someone finds me._

**()**

_[Gully- 2 weeks later]_

Arianna was twirling a heavy metal pipe that she had found at one end of the gully, swinging it above her head and stabbing out with it at imaginary enemies. She finally finished by slamming the end of the pipe into the ground.

"_Hey kid,"_ Ironhide suddenly said, _"You've got company."_ Aria gave a small start, whirling around to see a young boy watching her. He had spiky brown hair, orange, square-rimmed glasses, and wore an orange vest over a white shirt, loose jeans, and red and white sneakers. "Whoa!" he finally said.

Aria had frozen slightly. _"Oh, go ahead and say hi,"_ said Nauticia.

The young boy quickly said, "Oh, I'm sorry I interrupted you. It's just, I usually come here sometimes."

"Sorry for taking your spot then," Aria said to him, finally relaxing. He seemed like a nice kid.

"It's alright," he said to her. He walked over to her and held up his hand. "I'm Rafael by the way."

"Arianna," she responded, taking his hand and shaking it, "So, what are you doing down here, Rafael?"

"Just call me Raf," he said as he pulled off his backpack and sat down against the side of the gully. Aria decided to join him as he explained, "I'm just trying to get away from my family for a bit."

"Why?" asked Aria. She didn't understand why he'd want to leave his family for a bit.

Raf pulled out his phone and brought up a picture of his family. The older girl saw that there was at least eight other members of his family besides him. "I'm the youngest," he explained, "And... no one ever really listens to me. Sometimes I even shout and they don't listen." He gave a slightly angry sigh as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. "So, what are you doing down here?"

"Just getting ready for a threat that I'm not sure will come." She rested her head against the wall as she said, "You're lucky. My parents were killed when I was three. I barely remember them." She rubbed her necklace as Raf looked sympathetically at her.

"You don't have very many friends, do you?" he asked her.

"Last friends I had I left back in Chicago," she said, "But I guess I wouldn't mind having a few more." She smiled at him and he smiled back. "Same time tomorrow?" she asked.

"You're on!" he said.

The enthusiastic tone in his vice made her smile widely. She was gonna like this kid.

**()**

_[Arianna's diary- 4 months later]_

_It's bee almost 5 months since I came to Jasper. I really didn't think that I'd have any fun here, but was I wrong! I've already made a few friends and I'm doing well in school. I've also developed my powers a lot. Speaking of them, Primus says that it's okay for me to tell Raf about my powers! I'm not really sure why he would want me to tell him though._

_I often ask if I'm ever going to officially meet Team Prime. Primus says just be patient. I have to wonder how soon this is gonna be._


	5. Darkness Rising part 1

_[Arianna's diary- 4 weeks later]_

_So, it's been about four weeks since I revealed my powers to Raf, and believe this- he's still perfectly okay with it! We've become really good friends and hang out a lot. A couple of the seniors teased me for a bit, but I soon gave them the message not to mess with me or Raf._

_I decided to write in the morning today, because I feel like something big is going to be happening today. What, I don't know. And Primus is being awfully quiet. Guess I'll have to see._

**()**

_[Gully- evening]_

Arianna sat next to Raf as he raced his small race car around, which had been a gift from Aria to him on his twelth birthday. She was making small ramps and curves so Raf could have a little more fun with it.

As the young boy's phone rang, he quickly answered it. "Hi Momma," he qickly said, "Racing. In the gully. I'm with Aria. Just five more minutes?" He hung up and said, "It was my momma. It's almost time to head in."

"Well, we've still got a few more minutes, right?" she asked, making another ramp for the car to jump over and stop right next to them.

"Sure do!" As Raf had the car drive around a bit more, Aria thought about the events of the day. A little while eariler, she had felt like something had happened in the Allspark. When she had asked about it when school got out, she met Cliffjumper, Arcee's partner. He had been killed by Starscream not too long ago. The teen had to wonder how Arcee was handling it.

"You've been kinda quiet." Aria was jolted from her thoughts and looked at Raf, who was looking at her in concern, "Did something happen?"

Aria shrugged and said, "A few things."

_"Kid, might wanna listen," _Ironhide suddenly said. And that's when Aria heard it; a motorcycle engine and a scream. "Did you hear-?" she started to ask Raf, but before she could finish her sentence, a motorcycle zoomed over them and landed in front of them.

Aria stared in shock at the black-haired Jack Darby, who looked rather breathless and was riding on a dark blue and pink motorcycle that she recognized as Cliffjumper's former partner, Arcee. "Did you just climb on?" she asked incrediously.

"What happened?" asked Raf, picking up his toy car and putting it in his backpack.

Jack finally looked up at the two of them and said, "You have no idea." He quickly climbed off as the other two approached. However, they turned to look up the slope as two more engines sounded. "Oh great," said Jack, "It's them."

Two purple and black muscle cars sped down the slope. With the sound of turning gears and shifting parts, they transformed into large purple robots, with their arms turning into red blasters. Aria's jaw dropped slightly when she recognized them. _Vehicons_, she thought in dumb amazement,_ they're bigger than I thought they'd be._

At the sound of more transforming behind her, she and the two boys turned around to find that the motorcycle had changed into a small, female-looking robot wth fierce-looking blue and pink eyes. _That_'s _Arcee_, Aria thought again. "This ends here, Cons!" she snarled angrily.

"I think we might want to move," decided Aria. She quickly grabbed Jack and Raf and pulled them to the wall as Arcee rushed forward, dodging the two Vehicon's fire. When she got close, she leapt up into the air and slammed her ped into one of them, before roundhouse kicking the other.

"What are they?" aske Raf. "Talking cars that turn into robots," said Jack, obviously still in shock over what had just happened.

"I think it's actually the other way around," Aria corrected him as Arcee started pummeling the first Vehicon with her clenched servos.

_"I think she's still angry," _said Ironhide.

_"You think?"_ asked Cliffjumper.

Aria watched as the Vehicon started shooting Arcee, who backflipped several times to avoid the blasts, but a final one nailed her in the chest. She fell with a heavy thud, causing the three humans to flinch.

"Jack, quick question," said Aria as the Vehicons approached the stunned Arcee, "were there any other vehicles helping you two?"

"Actually," Jack started to say, but was interrupted by a vehicle jumping off the bridge and transforming into a yellow and black Autobot. He landed on one of the Vehicons and rapidly punched the second one, making it fall back under the onslaught.

_"It's Bumblebee!"_ yelled Cliffjumper, _"He must've followed Arcee!"_

_"He's cute,"_ Aria said before blushing. The Terror Twins roared in laughter. _"Shut up!" _she quickly said.

Bumblebee quickly pushed back the two Vehicons, then accidentally stepped on one of the small ramps that Aria had made. He then decided to look to his right to see the three humans. _*Uhhhh... hi?*_ he said.

Aria saw one of the Vehicons getting up while Bumblebee was distracted. "Look out!" she yelled.

The yellow Autobot narrowly dodged the punch, but then it tripped him, making him fall onto his back. As the two Vehicons prepared to shoot him, Raf yelled out, "Leave him alone!"

The two 'Cons turned their attention to them at that. "Please?" he squeaked out.

"Probably shouldn't have said anything," said Aria, grabbing his hand and pulling him and Jack towards the tunnel that led out as one of the Vehicon's tromped after them.

Aria lifted Raf into the tunnel as Jack hopped in after them, the three of them racing down the tunnel as one of the Vehicons reached after them, trying to grab them. A massive *clang* caused them to turn around to see the stunned Vehicon being pulled out of the hole and Bumblebee's face replacing it. _*You three all right?*_ he asked.

"We're fine," said Aria.

"Thank you!" added Raf.

_*Stay out of trouble now,*_ said 'Bee, before leaving the tunnel.

"What was that?" asked Jack as they continued down the tunnel.

Aria decided to play along as the unsuspecting civilian. "I don't know," she said, "but I think we better get going before we find out." She gave Raf a wink and he nodded, knowing what she was doing.

"They were pretty cool, though," said the young boy.

"You try getting chased by them and shot at!" said Jack, sounding slightly scoldish.

"Welcome to my world," Aria muttered under her breath.

**()**

_[Next day]_

"Hey Aria!"

Arianna opened her eyes as Raf came running up to her. "How was school?" he asked.

"Same old," she replied, "What about you?"

"Same," he said, shrugging, "but I couldn't stop thinking about yesterday. Are they like those guys you were telling me about?"

"Sure are," she said, "And I can see Bee on the corner. I guess he's waiting for Jack to show up."

"Speaking of which," said Raf. He waved to the older boy that came out of the school. Jack noticed them and walked over. "Raf. Aria. Hey," he said, "Look. How about we just forget what happened yesterday."

"I doubt that's gonna happen anytime soon," said Aria, rolling her eyes at him.

"What makes you say that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

A sudden honking noise caused the three of them to turn. "That does," Aria said as Bumblebee drove up next to them.

"Not again," groaned Jack.

The passenger door opened and Bee said, _*Alright. Youngest boy and girl with me. Arcee's right behind you.*_

"It... wants us to get in?" asked Jack.

"No, just me and Aria," said Raf.

"Wait," said Aria, "you can understand him too?"

Raf nodded as Jack said, "What?"

"Arcee's over there," Aria pointed out the motorcycle parked in front of the school.

Jack stared hesitantly at Arcee and said, "Look, I really think-,"

"So how's it going?" asked Raf, walking up to Bumblebee.

"I call shotgun," said Aria, climbing in after him.

"Hey guys! Wait!" yelled Jack, but it was too late. Raf and Aria climbed in and Bumblebee took off. "It'll probably take a while for him to come round," said Aria with a slight chuckle.

_*Well, I think Arcee will put some sense into him,*_ said Bumblebee, as they drove down the road.

"So, what's your name?" asked Raf.

_*I'm Bumblebee. What about you two?*_

Aria gave him a confused look at that. "You guys have been watching me since I got to Jasper, and you still don't know my name?"

_*Optimus never said,*_ said Bee, a little sheepish.

"Well, I'm Arianna," she introduced herself, "And this is Raf."

"Nice to meet you!" said Raf.

_*You guys too!*_ said Bee, _*So, how can you understand me?*_

"Kind of a long story on my end," said Aria, "what about you Raf?"

"Not sure," the younger boy replied, "maybe it's because it sounds like you're talking in code."

_*Ohhhhhhh,* _buzzed Bee, _*Tech whiz, huh?*_

"You could say that," Raf grinned.

_"Those two are gonna get along just fine," _commented Perceptor.

**()**

A few minutes later, Arcee had come back and the two Autobots were headed for a large-looking mesa. Aria looked at the wall they were driving towards and said, "Secret door. It's always a secret door."

A section of the wall suddenly split apart, revealing a long tunnel.

"Knew it."

_*You are being oddly calm,*_ said Bumblebee as they drove on through.

"I don't get that surprised with stuff anymore," she told him. As they drove into the main part of the base, Aria gave a slight nod._ Nice,_ she thought to herself.

"Cool," said Raf, staring at the large white and orange mech that stood watching them, a slight displeased look in his optics.

_"He doesn't look happy," _Aria thought.

_"Ratchet's never happy,"_ replied Sideswipe.

As she and Raf got out and the two Autobot's transformed, Ratchet stepped forward, looking at them. "Four? I thought there were three." he said, standing next to a large green Autobot that Aria recognized as Bulkhead.

"Haven't you heard?" Arcee asked sarcastically, "Human's multiply."

Aria rolled her eyes and turned around to look at Jack, who had another girl standing next to him. She unfortunately recognized the spunky looking Asian teen. "Miko?" she asked, "why?"

"She peeked around the corner," said Jack with a resigned sigh.

Aria shook her head in resignation as Raf said hesitantly, "I'm Raf."

"I'm Miko!" said Miko, running up to Bulkhead and asking, "What's your name?"

"Bulkhead," the large Autobot said hesitantly.

"Are you a car?" asked Miko, "I bet you're a truck, a monster truck! Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Ever used a wrecking ball for a punching bag?" She gave a sudden yelp as Aria walked up behind her and pulled down on her hair. "What was that for?" she asked.

"Too personal, Miko," said Aria, "You need to pull down that excitement sometimes."

"Says the girl who doesn't have any excitement in her life," said Miko in a huffy tone.

"You'd be surprised," replied the older girl, rolling her eyes as the Terror Twins burst out laughing.

"So, if you're robots," asked Raf, "who built you?" Aria looked at him with a approving smile. Raf was the only other person in the room who knew about these guys thanks to her. Best to play the role of the unsuspecting civilian.

His question did irk Ratchet a bit though, "Puh-leaze," scoffed the medic.

Large footsteps caused them all to turn however, and Aria and Miko joined the group as a large and familiar Autobot decided to join them.

"We are autonomus robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron," explained Optimus Prime, "Also known as Autobots."

Jack stepped forward and asked, "Why are you here?"

"To protect your planet from the Decepticons," said Optimus.

"The jokers who tried to bump us off last night?" clarified Arcee, noting the confused expresson on Jack's face.

"Oh-kay," said Jack, turning back to look at Optimus, "Why are they here?"

Optimus knelt down to address them better as the rest of the group stepped forward to join Jack, "A fair question, Jack," said Optimus, "In part, they are here because our planet in uninhabitable. Ravaged by centuries of civil war."

"Why were you fighting a war?" asked Raf.

"Foremost, over our world's supply of energon," explained Optimus, "The fuel and lifeblood of all Autobot's and Decepticons alike."

Aria suddenly gave a small flinch as her powers acted without her wanting them too. She saw a war-torn Cybertron and Cybertronians fighting, led by a menacing figure with glowing red optics as Optimus said, _"The combat was fierce and endured for centuries. In the beginning, I fought alongside one whom I considered a brother. But in war, ideals can be corrupted. And it was thus that Megatron lost his way."_

Her vision ended when Miko said in a bored voice, "Is there gonna be a quiz?"

With a rather annoyed expression, Aria tugged on one of puffy, pink-tipped pigtails on the top of her head, causing her to yelp. "Can you stop that?" she asked.

"No," said Aria.

Jack rolled his eyes at them and asked, "So what does Megatron or any of this have to do with us?"

"Megatron has not been seen or heard from in some time," explained Optimus, "But if his return is imminent, as I fear, it could be catastrophic."


	6. Darkness Rising part 2

Aria stood to one side of the small group of humans, looking at the group of Autobots in front of them. Optimus was talking to them again. "And since you now know of our existance I fear as of last night the Decepticons know of yours."

"Got it," said Jack, "If we see any strange vehicles, call 911."

Aria rolled her eyes at that. "Like cops could stand up to Cons," she muttered under her breath, but just loud enough for Jack to hear. He cast her an annoyed glance as he asked Optimus, "So, can we go now?"

"Are you insane?" asked Miko in shock, "I am living a dream here in Botswanna! And I will allow you or anyone else to shatter it!" She pointed an accusing finger at the older boy.

"It is best for you four to remain under our watch," said Optimus, "at least until we can determine our enemies intentions."

Ratchet turned to Optimus then. "Optimus, with all due respect, the human children are in as much danger here as in anywhere," he said.

"_Children?_" asked Aria and Jack incrediously. "I'm eighteen!" added the older girl.

Ratchet ignored her. "They have no protective shell!" he whispered, "If they get underfoot, they will go... squish." He stamped his ped down in emphasis, causing the humans, minus Aria, to flinch.

"Then for the time being, Ratchet," said Optimus, a slight smile on his faceplates, "We must watch where we step."

"Besides," said Aria, a smirk on her own face "I think you might find it hard to squish me, Ratchet."

"Don't test me, young lady," said Ratchet grumpily.

"Speaking of which," said Bulkhead, turning to Optimus, "Are you gonna tell us why you wanted us to watch over Aria now? You never told us in the first place why."

"I'm kinda curious about that too," said Arcee.

Optimus and Aria were both spared from an answer when a small alarm began to sound. Ratchet walked over to the consel as Jack asked nervously, "What's that?"

_*Our proximity sensor,*_ replied Bumblebee, _*we've got company on the roof.*_

"Proximity sensor," translated Raf, "Someone's up top."

Ratchet checked the viewscreen and gave an aggravated sigh, "It's Agent Fowler," he said grumpily.

"Wait! _Agent Fowler?_" asked Aria, "Agent William Fowler?"

"He is our designated liason to the outside world," explained Optimus, "He tends to visit only when there are... issues. It may be best that you do not meet him at this time."

"You know him?" asked Miko as they ducked out of sight close to Bumblebee and Arcee.

"He used to be my foster agent," explained Aria, "He stopped before I left Chicago."

"Must've been for this," said Raf.

"Shh!" Arcee quickly said as the elevator opened. While Fowler started talking to Optimus about what had happened last night, Aria turned to the voices in her head. _"So, did you know about this?"_ she asked in irritation.

"_Maybe..."_ said Amalgamos with a slight chuckle.

"_That guy is lucky that ahm dead,"_ growled Ironhide as Agent Fowler started arguing with Optimus, _"Otherwise I'd 'ave squished 'im by now."_

"_Easy, Ironhide,"_ said Primus as Bulkhead joined the argument, finishing it with grabbing one of Ratchet's tools and saying, "Team Prime knows when to use force, and how much to use." And he crushed the tool in his servos.

"BULKHEAD, I NEEDED THAT!" yelled out Ratchet, causing Aria to flinch at the volume and at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker laughing in her head. _"And we used to be the ones who did that!"_ cackled Sideswipe.

"_Good to know that the old Hatchet has a guy he can yell at for his tools!"_ giggled his brother.

"_You two are enjoying this too much,"_ said Chromia in annoyance as Agent Fowler climbed onto the elevator and left.

"Pretty big bearings," commented Bulkhead, "for a human."

"Agent Fowler is concerned for his world, Bulkhead," Optimus told him, "as he should be." He turned to look at the humans as they came out of hiding, Aria rubbing her right temple with a look of annoyance on her face. "Are you alright?"

Aria looked up at him and said, "Headache. And not from Fowler. I forgot how much he loved to argue."

Ratchet looked at her curiously, "You know him?"

"He used to be my foster agent," she explained, "Now it's someone different."

Ratchet nodded, then as the other humans started eagerly talking to the others, Aria simply sat on one of the provided chairs and leaned forward with her head in her hands. She liked the guys, sure, but sometimes she was pretty sure that they were just there to annoy the scrap out of her.

Just then, Cliffjumper yelled out, causing her to give a small jump. _"What happened?"_

"_Oh-kay,"_ said Nexus Prime, _"This I haven't seen for a while."_

"_Seen what?"_

She looked up as the computer blinked and a small picture popped up. "Blasted earth-tech!" yelled Ratchet. He turned to everyone else and said, "Cliffjumper's signal popped back online!"

"Who's Cliffjumper?" asked Miko.

"How is that possible?" asked Optimus.

"It isn't," said Ratchet, giving an angry glance at the consel and said, "Another bug! The system's chocked full of them!"

Arcee turned to look at Optimus. "If there's any chance Cliff's alive," she said to him.

Optimus nodded, "Ratchet," he said, "Prepare sickbay. We may need it." A battle mask slid over his face as he walked towards the archway at the opposite end of the room.

"Hey!" Optimus turned to look at Miko as she asked him, "What can we do?"

"Remain with Ratchet," he told her.

"Aww!" she pouted.

She wasn't the only one who gave a small sigh of disappointment.

Aria and the others gave a small jump as the archway suddenly came to life, filling with swirling blue and green energy. "Autobots!" yelled Optimus, "Roll out!" He, Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee dashed into the vortex, transforming into their vehicle modes just before the fully went through.

"What just happened?" asked Jack.

"I transported them to the designated coordinates via the Groundbridge," explained Ratchet.

"And for those of us that don't speak cybertronian techno-babble?" asked Aria. She never could understand Perceptor when he started to talk like that, even with her classes with him.

Ratchet rolled his optics and said slowly, "I sent them where they needed to be by using a stabilized wormhole which we call a Groudbridge. Happy?"

"Yes," she replied, "thank you."

"So it's a stable wormhole basicaly?" asked Raf, turning to look at the medic.

"Yes," replied the medic with a slight tone of relief in his voice as he turned back towards the computer, "And we could have a larger version called a Spacebridge. But since we currently don't posses the means, or the energon required for intergalactic travel."

"You're stuck here," realized Jack, "On earth."

"With the likes of you, yes. But I," he said proudly, "constructed the Groundbridge to enable travel from here to anywhere on your planet."

_So that's a Groundbridge,_ Aria thought to herself, looing at the swirling portal.

"Whoa. Does it work for humans?" asked Raf.

"Naturally," answered Ratchet.

"You mean I could just shoot over and visit my parent's in Tokoyo?" asked Miko.

"Within moments," said Ratchet. Leaning over to look at her then, he said, "In fact, allow me to send you there immediately, all four of you!"

Aria darted right up to the medic's faceplates then and said, "Watch it, _Hatchet_."

Ratchet leaned back a little bit, a tiny bit startled, then his optics went wide. "Wait just a nano-click, young lady!" he said, "What did you just call me?"

"Hatchet," she replied with a slight grin.

Miko giggled, "You're nickname's Hatchet?"

Ratchet shot her a glance and turned back to look at the older girl, "I haven't heard that nickname used for a long time. How did you know it?"

"Probably wouldn't even believe me if I told you," she said teasingly, giving him a wink.

Ratchet kept looking at her as he turned back to the computer consel and Aria, Miko and Jack climbed down the ladder to talke a look around. "You seem used to teasing giant alien robots," said Jack, a little unnerved.

As soon as they reached the ground, Aria bent close to Jack's ear and whispered, "You could say that I've been doing it for a while."

Jack looked at her with a very startled expression on his face, then looked back up at Ratchet. If he had heard the comment, he didn't show it. "Do you know these guys?" he whispered to her as they moved towards the powered down archway.

"I've heard of them," she whispered back, "and I've seen them once or twice. But I haven't met them officially."

"How do you know them?" asked Miko, talking in a whisper as well.

"Like I said to Ratchet," she said, "You probably wouldn't even believe me if I told you."

"Not even a little hint?" asked Miko.

"Nope," she replied.

Miko gave a little pout and looked around for a few seconds, finally noticing a metal case in one corner. "What is this anyway?" she asked, walking over to it and reaching a hand forward.

"Broken, don't touch," replied Ratchet. As she reached forward again, he said, "Don't touch that either!"

"Is there anything in here that we can touch?" asked Jack as Aria made her way towards the platform again.

Before Ratchet could answer, a small red icon appeared on the computer screen, with words beside it in english. "How come you guys are using human computers?" asked Raf, looking at Ratchet curiously.

"It certainly isn't by choice," said Ratchet, "It was handed down by the previous tendants when we inherrited this former missile silo. I make modifications as I see fit."

A whole bunch of icons appeared, causing Ratchet to give an aggravated groan. "I think I can fix that," said Raf, turning to one of the computers on the catwalk.

"Really?" asked Ratchet mockingly, "You do realize that this is complex technology? Certainly not a child's toy!"

"You might eat those words, Doc," said Aria, kneeling down next to Raf as he plugged his computer in and typed on his keyboard for a few seconds. "Now try!" said Raf, turning to look at Ratchet.

Ratchet turned to look at the consel screen as the icons turned blue and the screen went back to normal. He turned to look at Rafael again with a shocked look on his face. Raf gave a modest shrug as Aria said, "You were saying?"

Ratchet looked at them for a few more seconds before asking a little bit sheepishly, "Could you take a look at Cliffjumper's life-signal? I'm thinking it might be a bug, but I'm not so sure."

"Sure," said Raf. Aria knelt down beside him as Raf began typing away. "So that's the signal," she mused as Raf pulled up the program.

"It looks fine, Ratchet," said Raf after typing in a few commands, "It's not a bug."

"But something looks off about it," said Aria.

Ratchet looked at her and pulled up the life-signal, placing it alongside his own in comparison. "Strange," he mused, "I've never seen this before in a life signal."

Aria looked at the life-signal and noticed the off-bits, "It's very off," she said.

"Have you seen what a cybertronian life-signal is supposed to look like?" he asked her.

She was stopped from answering when Optimus Prime's voice suddenly called out over the com-system, _*Ratchet! Bridge us back! Use the arrival coordinates now!*_

Ratchet quickly typed something into another consel and pulled down a lever, causing the archway to come to life again. Jack and Miko, who had joined the others on the catwalk, looked at the bridge with Aria, Raf and Ratchet as the four Autobots pulled through, transforming when they were out. Optimus, who was last, backflipped as he transformed as Ratchet closed the Groundbridge, narrowly dodging the explosion of energon that nearly came through after him.

"Cutting it a bit close," commented Ratchet, "How about Cliffjumper?"

Aria closed her eyes and asked, _"Guys?"_

"_I'm okay now,"_ said Cliffjumper, _"But I have no clue what that was."_

Aria opened her eyes as Miko asked them, "What was that explosion? Was there a fight? Can I come with next time?"

Arcee, who had a grumpy look on her face, said, "Look."

"Miko! Hey!" said Jack quickly, "Let's go see what the Autobot's hide in their sock drawers!" He pulled her away as she asked, "Seriously?"

"Sorry," Aria quickly said to the group of Autobots.

Optimus nodded to her and turned to Arcee, asking, "Arcee, what did you see?"

Arcee crossed her arms as she said, "Not Cliff. At least... not anymore. He was mutated. Butchered," a angry tone filled her voice, "Like something from those 'Con's experiments back during the war!" She stopped suddenly and collapsed onto the floor, grabbing onto a nearby crate for support.

_*Cee! You okay?*_ asked Bumblebee in worry.

"I'm fine!" she quickly said, "Just dizzy."

Aria looked at Arcee, giving her a small glance and noticed something. "What's that on her hand?" she asked, pointing.

Ratchet looked at her before looking at the mentioned servo. "What is this?" he said, noticing the steaming, purple substance on the back of her left servo.

"Don't know," said Arcee, rubbing her helm with her other servo, "Cliff was covered in it. Leaking it."

Ratchet took a small scalpel and scraped a small part of it off. "Go take a decontamination bath," he gently ordered her, "Now."

Arcee was helped off the crate by Bumblebee and led to the small medical bay that stood in one corner. As Ratchet followed behind them, careful not to let the purple substance drip onto the floor, he passed Aria. Aria looked at it for a few seconds, then looked down as a tingling sensation entered her hands. She gave a small gasp when she saw the tips of her fingers, which were suddenly spider-webed with small white streaks. A ringing noise filled her head, and she suddenly felt sick. She quickly backed up from the catwalk, hiding her hands behind her back until the sensation passed. When she pulled her hands out, they had returned to normal, but the ringing noise and sick feeling continued for a few more seconds.

When her hearing reutned to normal, she heard Jack telling Optimus that they needed to go home. "Human customs," said Optimus, I hadn't considered. But the issue of your safety remains." He turned to Bulked and said, "Bulkhead, you will accompany Miko home."

"Suh-weet!" cheered Miko, "My host partents will freak!"

"And maintain covert surveillance in vehicle form," added Optimus.

"Curbside duty," said Bulkhead, "Got it."

"Aww!" said Miko.

Optimus turned to Bumblebee next and said, "Bumblebee, you'll watch over Raf." Bumlbebee nodded, looking at Raf with a happy look in his optics, which was reflected by the young boy.

"Ratchet," Optimus started.

"Busy," Ratchet quickly said as Arcee stepped out of the decontamination chamber.

Optimus looked at Arcee and said, "Arcee, you will accompany Jack." Jack had a nervous look on his face and scratched the back of his head.

Arcee held her helm and said, "Whoo! Still dizzy."

"You're fine," said Ratchet, "says your physician."

Arcee rolled her optics and gave a small sigh before nodding. Optimus then turned to Aria and said, "Aria, I will accompany you home."

Aria nodded, "Okay," she said.

A few minutes later, the team was driving out of the base, Aria settled comfortably in Optimus' passenger seat. "So," she said, turning to the steering wheel, "Which Prime was it that spoiled it for you?"

"Maximo," he replied.

"Knew it," she said, "he never likes to stay quiet."

Optimus gave a slight rumble of agreement and asked, "How long have you been connected to the Allspark?"

"Since I was eleven," she replied, "They were pretty confused that I didn't freak out or anything."

"It quite surprised myself as well," he said, "Are you planning on telling the others?"

"Maybe," Aria said, shrugging, "I think I did give Ratchet a few hints though. He threatened to send us all to Tokoyo."

Optimus gave a slight chuckle and asked, "What did you say?"

"I said, 'Watch it, Hatchet'," she chuckled and said, "He wanted to know where I got his nickname from. I guess you know where my house is?" she asked as they entered the town.

"I do," said Optimus. He turned down the street and asked, "Will you be alright? You reacted strangely when Ratchet passed you."

"I think I'll be fine." She examined her fingers and rubbed them. They felt like they were tingling still. "But I have a bad feeling about that stuff on Arcee."

"Have you heard from Cliffjumper?" he asked.

She nodded, "Something strange happened to him before his life-signal popped up. Nexus said that he hadn't seen that for a while. But he's back to normal now."

Optimus gave a small, "hmm," as he mused slightly, then he pulled up to her foster home. "I will be here in the morning," he told her as she hopped out.

"Thank's," she said, "See you tomorrow!" She walked up to the steps of the house and walked in, closing the door behind her.

**()**

_So, I went to the 'Bot's base today. Miko saw Jack and Arcee, so she had to come along as well. So there's four of us now. Well, five if you include Agent Fowler. Apparently, he's their liason! Have to wonder how long until he finds out about us._

_Something wierd happened today though. Something happened to Cliff' and his life-signal popped back up. After the mine exploded though, he went back to normal. Arcee had some wierd stuff on her hand. When Ratchet passed me with it, my fingers did a light show and I felt sick. Don't know what that was about though._

_It's Saturday tomorrow. One whole day with the Autobots. See you tomorrow._

Aria examined her entry for a few seconds, then picked it up and turned it invisible, placing it back on the shelf. She examined her hands for a few seconds before climbing into bed.

For some odd reason, she felt like something was going to happen tomorrow.


	7. Darkness Rising part 3

_[Early Next Morning]_

Aria laid in bed for a few minutes, thinking about the previous day. She had finally officially met the Autobots and seen a little bit of their everyday lives. In comparison, it wasn't that different from her weekends and winter and summer vacations. But she wasn't reguarly involved in explosions.

She finally climbed out of bed and pulled out her outfit from the previous day- a simple white shirt with a gray pullover and black jeans with gray converse. She examined it for a few seconds before tossing it into her dirty clothes and walking over to her closet, pulling out a few things and putting them on.

She gave a pleased hum as she examined herself in the mirror. She now wore the outfit that Issac and Reyna had given her- a long-sleeved magenta shirt with slightly trailing sleeve cuffs, a black vest with a hood that had a small hole in the back to compensate for her hair, slightly tight-fitting blue jeans with gray knee pads, and gray boots with silver tie-cords and black soles. Completing the outfit was a pair of black, fingerless, leather gloves with small wrist ties and metal, silver-colored bits on the back of her hands, as well as her silver-edged blue stone necklace. She examined herself in the mirror for a few seconds before nodding and checking the clock, seeing that the time was 7:00. Time to head out to Optimus.

She headed out of her room, placing a note to the Chavez on the kitchen table and heading outside, where she saw Optimus waiting for her. She gave a small wave and jogged over to him, climbing into his cab as he opened his passenger side door for her. "Sleep well?" he asked as they started up the street.

"Yup," she replied, stretching slightly in her seat, "but I decided to go for an outfit change."

"You look nice," he complimented.

"Thank you." She then asked him, "Ratchet find anything out about that stuff on Arcee's hand?"

"Not yet," he told her, "But I've already had a few suspicions about it."

Arianna nodded and leaned back in her chair, waiting until they reached the base.

**()**

Ratchet looked up as Optimus rolled into base, letting out Aria before transforming. "Good morning," said Ratchet, nodding respectfully to Optimus before turning back to his examination of the purple goo.

"Anything?" asked Optimus.

"No," said Ratchet, "I've never seen anything like this before. But I'll figure it out."

Aria gave a small shiver as she watched him move the sample to what looked like an cybertronian-sized microscope. She couldn't help rubbing her fingers together. Ratchet looked back at her and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she replied, "I just get a bad feeling looking at that stuff."

Ratchet nodded before getting back to the sample.

Optimus knelt down, extending a large servo for her to climb onto. As soon as she was on, he lifted her up and allowed her to hop onto his broad shoulder. "Thanks," she said to him.

"Would you like a tour?" he asked.

"Sure. At least we'll have something to do until the others get here."

**()**

Optimus had concluded the tour at the training room, where they now sat together and talked a little bit about yesterday. "I'm still not sure why that happened," Aria said to Optimus, "My hands just lit up, and I felt a bit sick too."

"It didn't look like it happened to the others," mused Optimus, "That, or Ratchet didn't get close enough to them."

"I think it might only be me," she told him, "But whatever that stuff was, it has a negative effect on me. Same for you guys too."

Optimus seemed to think for a few seconds, the they both perked up when Ratchet gave a loud, panicked yell from the main room. The two of them looked at each other before they rushed out of the training room, Aria using her powers to keep up with Optimus as he drew his blaster. When they got to the main room, Aria's eyes widened.

Ratchet had backed up, slamming into a nearby wall as he was viciously assulted by what looked like a metal spider with a glowing purple optic. As it leapt through the air at Ratchet, Optimus raised his blaster and fired, hitting it and causing it to fall to the floor.

Ratchet gave a relieved sigh and straightened as Optimus put his blaster away. The spider-bot stood back up with a few powering-up noises and gave an angry hiss before Optimus slammed his ped on the top of it, completely crushing it and turning it off. "And stay broken!" snarled Ratchet. Looking back up at Optimus, he asked, "Now what could've caused that?"

"Wait," said Aria, peering at it closely, "Isn't that the tool that Bulkhead broke when Fowler came?"

Ratchet looked at it again and said in a shocked tone, "I didn't even recognize it! It was just some kind of... creature. But how come it came to life and attacked me?"

Optimus' shoulders sagged slightly. "I have a grave suspicion, Ratchet. Dark Energon."

"_What?"_ chorused several voices in Aria's mind at the same time that Ratchet exclaimed, "What?"

"_Well, that certainly would explain a lot,"_ said Prima, _"Sparks often reacted like Cliffjumper's did whenever their bodies were infused with Dark Energon."_

"_Do you think Megatron brought that to earth?"_ asked Amalgamos.

"_Could you keep your observations to yourselves?"_ asked Aria as Ratchet used a pair of pincers to put the broken piece of equipment in a small container, _"I'm trying to listen here."_

"_We'll try to keep it in the back,"_ said Solus.

Aria looked back up as Optimus said, "If the residue Arcee found on Cliffjumper brought your broken equipment to life, it would stand to reason that the very same substance brought Cliffjumper back from the dead." He closed the container and turned to the other two.

"Hmm," Ratchet mused, "That would account for his life-signal inexplicably coming back on line. And when Aria saw the signature, she said it was slightly different than mine. But," he turned to Optimus and wondered, "_Dark Energon?_ It's so scarce that it's supposed to be virtually non-existant. What would it be doing on Earth?"

"It was transported," said Optimus, "by Megatron."

Ratchet's optics widened, "For what purpose?" he asked.

"To conquer this planet," explained Optimus.

"By using an undead army of cybertronian husks," finished Aria.

Ratchet looked at her for a few seconds, then gave a scoffing laugh. "Good theory," he complimented her, "But he will have to break quite a few toaster ovens. I mean, where on this world would he find that many cybertronian dead?"

"_Uhhh..."_ went a few voices in Aria's mind. _"Ratchet needs to stop putting his foot in his mouth." _ said Perceptor, _"He's obviously forgetting about the energon deposits on Earth."_

"... and the battles that were waged for them," Aria whispered to herself.

Ratchet looked down at her. "What was that?" he asked.

"Nothing," she quickly said, then looked at Optimus, who gave a slight nod. He knew what she said.

They were interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the team with Jack, Miko and Raf, getting out or off of their respective guardians. Apparently they were doing a bit of stuff together because the other three humans were talking excitedly.

Bulkhead gave a small yelp and pulled out a guitar case from his chest. "Sorry!" said Miko, taking it from him as he handed it to her, "Must've left that in the back seat!"

Optimus looked at the group for a bit, then said, "Ratchet, Arianna. You're with me."

"What?!" said everyone, including Aria. "I'm coming?" she said in shock.

"She's coming?" asked Ratchet incrediously.

"How come she's going with you and I can't!" asked Miko.

"Why her?" asked Arcee.

"She will be needed," answered Optimus, walking over to the Groundbridge consel and typing in a few coordinates.

Aria looked at him for a few seconds, then realized what he meant. "Ohhhh! So we're doing that, are we? Alright."

"Is it because of the thing?" asked Raf. Optimus looked at him with curiosity in his eyes, then looked over at Aria. "Yeah, he knows," she told him.

Optimus nodded to Raf and said to Arcee, "We'll be out of communications range for a while, so you're in charge."

"Dude, you're biggest!" Miko said to Bulkhead, "You should be the boss!"

"Um," said Bulkhead, "He never picks me."

"_For good reason!" _said Cliffjumper.

"Optimus," said Arcee, "With all due respect. Bodyguarding is one thing, but babysitting's another!" She heard Jack give an annoyed sigh behind her as she continued. "And plus, Aria is one thing, but Ratchet? He hasn't been in the field since the war!"

"My pistons may be rusty, but my hearing's sharp as ever!" Ratchet said loudly to her.

"For the moment," said Optimus, "it's only reconissance."

"Then why do I hear an edge in your voice?" asked Arcee, raising an optic-brow at him.

"Arcee," Optimus said, "Much has changed in the past twenty-four hours. And we all need to adapt. Aria has good reason to come along."

"Plus," said Aria, "I can handle myself."

Ratchet flicked down the lever to the Groundbridge, allowing the portal to open. Optimus allowed Aria to climb into his shoulder and the two of them and Ratchet headed through the Groundbridge.

**()**

They emerged from the Groundbridge into a large canyon. Optimus had allowed Aria to climb off his shoulder and she easily kept pace with the two larger cybertronians.

After a couple of minutes, Ratchet broke the uncomfortable silence. "Optimus. Two questions. One, what exactly are we doing here? And two, why did we bring her along?" He looked at Aria as he said the last question.

"To answer your first question Ratchet," said Optimus, "We are here to find the sight of the largest cybertronian battlefield in this galaxy."

"On Earth?" asked Ratchet in shock, "You must be joking!"

Optimus asked him, "Do you recall the period late in the war when both sides began hiding their energon spoils off-world?"

"Of course," said Ratchet, "It's the reason energon deposits exist on planets such as this one."

"It is also the reason battles came to be waged on planets such as this one," said Optimus, "And I fear Megatron's memory is as long as history."

"Do you really think he'll show up?" asked Aria.

"He may," said Optimus, "I remember this battle being reported to me, and I know that Megatron knew about this site as well."

"If he does come," said Ratchet, "You know there will be a fight. So why did we bring her?" he pointed to Aria.

"You heard me say that I can handle myself, right?" asked Aria, who was walking in front of the two.

"You're a human!" exclaimed Ratchet, "As far as I can tell, there isn't anything special about you! Why in the Allspark, Optimus, did we bring her with us? A bettlefield is no place for a child!"

"I'm not exactly a child, Ratchet," Aria said, her voice suddenly very cold and sharp. When she turned, her pale blue eyes were harder than ice, "I stopped being a child when I was three years old."

Ratchet looked at her, then turned to Optimus and asked, "So what's up with her? Why is she so special?"

Optimus looked at Aria and said, "You can explain it better than I can."

Aria nodded and turned forward again, saying, "Well, you wanted an explanation Ratchet, right? Here's the short abridged version. When I was ten and living in Richmond, Virginia, I started hearing voices in my head. Turns out, I'm connected to your Allspark."

Ratchet stopped and looked at her in shock. "What?" he managed to gasp out.

Aria rolled her eyes and turned around to look at him as Optimus stopped as well. "You remember that I called you 'Hatchet' yesterday? Sideswipe and Sunstreaker called you that, right? At least they called you that when you yelled after Bulkhead broke your tool."

Ratchet continued staring at her for a few seconds, then asked, "Is that how you were able to recognize the difference between Cliffjumper's life-signal and mine?"

"I've been taking classes from Perceptor," said Aria, "I'm way smarter than the average human. Plus, I have powers."

"Powers?" asked Ratchet.

"Yeah," said Aria, "How do you think I can keep up with you guys? I've got a few other powers besides speed. Strength, flight, cloaking, transformation, and a few other things. I'm still learning though."

"Well, at least I'm not too confused as to why we brought you along anymore," sighed Ratchet in relief. He cocked a optic-brow at her and asked, "How's Percy dong by the way?"

"Perceptor says he's doing fine and for you to stop calling him that." Aria gave a slight chuckle and said, "The Twins say hi too."

"Just don't start pranking me for them, alright?" he asked.

"I'm not much of a prankster," she assured him.

**()**

A few minutes later, the three of them came to the end of the canyon, which opened up into a stony valley. Ratchet's optics widened and Aria's shoulder's sagged when they saw all of the cybertronian remains that littered the valley. "For the first time in my life, Optimus," said Ratchet in a grave tone, "I had hoped that you were wrong."

Aria suddenly perked up and turned around. "Aria?" asked Optimus.

"We've got company," she said, her form shimmering before it vanished entirely. The two cybertronians turned to look behind them as a small cybertronian spaceship roared over them, transforming at the far end of the valley and landing on the top part of the cliff. Aria, invisible to the Decepticon's eye, instantly recognized the silver spiked figure- Megatron.

"Optimus!" greeted the Decepticon leader, his voice echoing over the vallye, "Been well? I see you brought your... trusty watch dog. I'd almost been certain that he'd be condelescing in a scrapyard by now."

"Why don't you invite him down here for a chat?" a slightly angry Ratchet asked Optimus, pounding his fists together.

_Take it easy, doc,_ Aria thought to herself.

"I know why you're here, Megatron," Optimus said to the Decepticon leader as Ratchet continued to pound his fists together.

"Hardly a surprise, Optimus," said Megatron, "After all, you and I have been at this for a long time. And your time has come to an end!" He reached into a sub-space pocket and drew out a shining purple shard, glowing brightly. He tossed it straight at the ground.

Aria instantly reacted, reaching forward with her gloved hands and wrapping a telekinetic hold of the shard, but something flashed in her hands and she nearly cried out in pain, biting her lip before she could be heard and pressing her hands to her middle, trying to stop the pain coursing through them.

Optimus nearly knelt down to help her, but stopped as the shard stabbed into the ground and sunk into the floor. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, dark violet light emerged from the ground where the shard had struck, stretching out across the valley and touching all of the cybertronian husks that were there. When the light reached the two Autobots and the hidden human, Ratchet stepped back, wariness flashing across his faceplates.

When the glowing light hit Aria, she gave a grunt of pain as needles of pain shot up her legs. She took to the air and gave a small sigh of relief as the pain faded, but her hands were still hurting.

Optimus heard her hovering behind him. "Aria," he whispered, his mouth barely moving, "Are you alright?"

"Mostly," she whispered in reply, "but trying to grab that shard of Dark Energon wasn't a good idea. My hands are hurting and I had to fly to keep my legs from getting hurt. My body's starting to tingle too."

Before Optimus could ask her anything else, Megatron yelled out, "Rise my army!"

Hundreds of cybertronian husks rose up from the ground, their previously dull gray optics now a dark violet color, and that same violet shone from a few parts of their bodies.

"By the Allspark," whispered Ratchet.

Optimus' face grew grim, and his optics flickered to behind his back. Aria's invisible body was spider-webbed with light, and she was forced to hide behind him as she grabbed her head. "So many..." he heard her whisper.

"Get to cover," he whispered to her. He saw her nod and the light faded a bit as she rushed to a small cave for cover.

As soon as all the undead cybertronians were up on their rusted and degrading peds, Megatron yelled out, his optics and body filled with purple light "BEHOLD! THE POWER OF DARK ENERGON!"

Aria looked from the cover of her cave as the army advanced towards the two Autobots. "Oh slag," she whispered.


	8. Darkness Rising part 4

Arianna watched from the cover of her small cave at the advancing undead army that was headed for Optimus and Ratchet. She continued to press her hurting hands to her middle, trying to stop the pain that was coursing through them. Her whole body was tingling as well, and small archs of light were coming from her body. She seriously hoped that Megatron couldn't see her.

"_Don't worry,"_ came Skywarp's voice, although it was fainter than she remembered, _"He'll be so busy watching Optimus and Ratchet that he won't bother looking for you."_

"_Well, that's comforting,"_ said Aria. She watched as Megatron yelled out, "Destroy them!" and saw Optimus started shooting at the army in front of him, only for them to get back up, except for a few of the ones that he shot in the head. _"Is there any way you can kill a... Zombie-con? They're already dead!"_

"_Terrorcon's the actual name,"_ said Perceptor, his voice faint as well, _"And I think slicing would do the trick. The smaller the pieces, the better."_

Aria nodded and looked at Ratchet, using her telepathic abilities to send him a message, _**Ratchet! Slice and dice time!**_ She wasn't sure that he heard her, with her head buzzing so much. The Primes and a few others were trying to care for several frozen sparks, whose bodies were being used by Megatron in the battle in front of her, and it was causing a lot of pain and distraction for her. She just hoped that she got through.

Ratchet heard her message, looking over to her and nodding. He turned to look at Optimus as he said, "Ratchet! Retreat! Take Aria with you and bridge yourself back to base!"

"No," said Ratchet, drawing two large surgical blades, "Aria just gave me a solution. The smaller the pieces, the better. It could work. And besides," he added, "you may require a medic when this is over with."

Ratchet started hacking into the Terrorcons as Optimus's blasters retracted into his arms and were replaced with two swords, which he used to start cutting into the enemy as well.

_Well, that worked,_ she thought to herself. She settled down against the cave wall and watched the battle unfold.

**()**

Optimus stabbed his two blades into the Terrorcons as they rushed at him, slicing them in half and at several intervals, stabbing one of his swords into a head. "Aria gave us sound advice," he said as Ratchet ran to his side.

"She probably got it from Perceptor," he replied, "but why's she hiding? She could easily help us take down this army."

"She's hidden for two reasons," Optimus explained to him, cutting down another Terrorcon, "I do not want Megatron hunting her when he sees her power. She's also suffering ill-effects from the Dark Energon. She first noticed it yesterday when you passed her with the sample."

"So she's weakening," said Ratchet, slicing another Terrorcon in half, "I guess it's because she's connected to the Allspark. Are you suffering any ill effects?"

"The Matrix is flaring a little bit," answered Optimus, slicing the heads off of two more Terrorcons and slashing at another one, "Other than that, I am alright. What about you?"

"I'm doing alright," his friend responded, "but I'm worried about how much exposure we're having because of this." He rushed off to deal with a small group of Terrorcons before Optimus could ask him what he meant.

Optimus slashed out at a few more Terrorcons before looking up at Megatron. "I have mastered Dark Energon," gloated the warlord, "When you fall, Optimus, you too shall join my army."

Optimus's optics narrowed and he and Ratchet burst forward again, cutting down more of the Terrorcons. _"Optimus,"_ suddenly came a voice that he recognized.

"_Prima,"_ he greeted, _"How is Aria doing?"_

"_Not very well,"_ responded the First Prime, _"She's stable, but you must deal with this army. The pain will stop when it's gone. And it will also help the Allspark calm down. Many of the sparks have already unfrozen, but there are still a lot more to be dealt with."_

Optimus nodded and gave a quick glance back at the cave where Aria was. He could see her form huddled at the entrance, and he could see her trembling. _Hold on, Aria,_ he thought, _hold on._

After a couple of minutes, Ratchet rejoined Optimus, his arms covered with rust and purple-streaked blue energon. He was also breathing heavily. "We have a slight problem," Ratchet told him, coming back to back with his friend, "This prolonged exposure to Dark Energon is sapping our strength. We won't last much longer."

"We cannot falter now," Optimus told him. Ratchet gave a weary nod and the two of them resumed fighting.

They were now pinned in a circle, with the Terrorcons slowly advancing on them. Ratchet continued to hack them to pieces as Optimus stabbed and shot at the undead army, trying desperately to hold them back. But the army grew even closer to them.

Finally, a Terrorcon leapt onto Optimus's back, distracting him and even more swarmed around him. He tried to blast them away, but they finally pulled him to the ground.

"Optimus!" yelled Ratchet. A Terrorcon leapt at him, wrapping it's arms around his and pinning his arms. More Terrorcons grabbed him and one stabbed into his right shoulder, causing him to yell in pain. They swiftly pulled him down to the ground and one of the grabbed his head, ready to rip it off...

**()**

Aria watched as the two Autobots were overwhelmed. _I have to do something!_ she tought to herself, _I can't just stand here on the sidelines!_ She shakily rose to her feet, trying to think of something.

Quintus Prime spoke to her then. _"Optimus has the Matrix of Leadership. We are giving him a little bit of strength, but he won't last much longer."_

"_So what do I do?"_

"_Send him a little bit of Allspark energy,"_ he told her, _"It'll give him more strength, and he'll be able to burst through."_

Aria nodded and closed her eyes, her face turned in Optimus's direction, where he was covered in a huge pile of Terrorcons. She clenched an aching hand before raising it up. An invisible beam of energy sailed from her hand, striking the pile and hitting Optimus.

She only hoped that it worked.

**()**

Optimus struggled weakly underneath the Terrorcons that were pinning him down. He could feel occasional flashes from the Matrix, allowing him to stay on his knees, but it wasn't enough. He was going to fall sooner or later.

Suddenly, a bolt of energy from _outside_ the Matrix, stronger than what he was being given, struck his body. He gave a small gasp of shock, before his face hardened. He raised his blade and stabbed it into a Terrorcon before giving an angry yell, blasting all of the Terrorcons off of him with his blaster. He shot at another Terrorcon and slammed the one he had just stabbed into the ground.

**()**

_That did it,_ Aria thought, sliding down to the floor again. _Now to rest._

**()**

Optimus looked to his left, where Ratchet was pinned down. He strode on over, blasting one Terrorcon off before picking up the other two and bashing them together, causing them to fall apart. He quickly helped Ratchet to stand, who was grimacing and holding his shoulder, which was covered with cracks.

"After all these years, Optimus," commented Megatron at the top of the cliffs, "Still at the top of your game."

Optimus's gaze hardened even more, and he drew his blades again, Ratchet unsheathing the blade on his good arm, and the two of them resumed slicing the Terrorcons apart. "I think you might be the one that needs a medic after this, old friend," Optimus said to Ratchet.

"I'll be fine for the moment," said Ratchet, "Let's finish this."

They charged forward as Megatron yelled, "My legion, FINISH THEM!"

Optimus and Ratchet slashed at the Terrorcons that advanced towards them once more, their numbers rapidly dwindling as they continued onwards, until Optimus stood at the base of the cliff where Megatron was, slashing apart a few of the final Terrorcons. "I'll deal with Megatron," he whispered to Ratchet, "Get to Aria, quickly!"

Ratchet nodded and made his way over, dealing with the rest of the Terrorcons as he went.

Optimus looked up as Megatron said, "Bravo, Optimus. Thought this is but a prelude. You may wish to save your strength for the main event."

Optimus's weapons sheathed and he started climbing up the side of the cliff. "You will not prevail Megatron!" he growled, "Not while energon still flows through my veins!" He clung to the ledge and looked at Megatron straight in his purple optics.

"Fitting," said Megatron, "For it is Dark Energon which flows through mine." He leapt upwards as Optimus lunged forward, and the warlord quickly transformed into his spaceship form, taking off as Optimus shot several shots after him. He gave an angry growl, then started to climb back down.

**()**

"Aria, wake up."

Aria gave a small moan, opening her eyes to find herself face to face with Optimus and Ratchet. She was being held in Ratchet's good servo, and judging how his optics were glowing, he was taking a scan of her. "You mind?" she asked, sitting up carefully.

"Ep, ep, ep! Take it easy! You're still pretty weak," cautioned Ratchet as she rubbed her head with her hands. She felt Optimus taking her and he asked, "How do you feel?"

Aria stretched slightly and rubbed her hands. "Hands still hurt," she said, "And I'm still a little bit sore. But I think I'll be okay." She pulled off her gloves and examined her hands, which, to her surprise, were covered with small cuts and were bleeding slightly.

Optimus noticed this, "You're bleeding."

"Just need some bandages," she said, "I thought I saw a leftover first-aid kit in a closet yesterday. I'll be fine in a few days."

"You can't just heal yourself?" asked Ratchet.

"Red Alert and First Aid says that these'll need to heal naturally," she told him, "I did just try to grab a shard of Dark Energon."

"Arianna," said Optimus, "I'm sorry for putting you through this. If I'd known how bad your condition was going to get, I would've allowed you to stay at base."

"Are you kidding me?" she said, stuffing her gloves in her pockets and standing up, "I haven't had this much fun in years! Besides, if it weren't for me, you'd probably be a part of Megatron's Terrorcon army!"

Optimus's optics widened. "That was you?" he asked her.

"Terrorcons?" asked Ratchet.

"Perceptor says that that's what they're called," she explained, "And yeah, that was me."

Optimus nodded, a grateful look crossing his faceplates. "Thank you," he said.

Ratchet turned to look at the remains that were littered across the valley floor. "But if this wasn't Megatron's endgame, then what is?"

**()**

Aria finished rubbing the disinfectant on her hands, wincing as the cuts stung from the solution. She picked up a roll of bandages and started wrapping them up until her palms were covered, then examined the few cuts that were on her fingers before grabbing a few band-aids and putting them on the cuts, then pulled her gloves on. She then packed up the first-aid kit and put it back in the closet before walking back into the main room. She saw Optimus putting the finishing touches on the brace for Ratchets arm before gently letting go. Ratchet nodded in appreciation before walking up to Bulkhead, who was with the kids watching over a comatose Agent Fowler.

Aria rolled her eyes. Apparently after the three of them had left, Arcee and Bulmblebee had gone on patrol, leaving Bulkhead with the kids when Agent Fowler came. He had spotted them and bulkhead had talked Agent Fowler down from telling the government about them. Then, Agent Fowler had gotten captured by Soundwave on Starscreams orders. Bulkhead had left to find them and he had been followed by Miko, who had been followed by Jack and Raf. Arcee and Bumblebee finally made it and joined Bulkhead in rescuing Fowler, who had gotten an electrical shock from Starscream when he had tried to interrogate him. After rescuing him, they quickly left, making it back in time to bridge Optimus, Ratchet and Aria back.

Miko turned to look at Ratchet, "What happened to you guys anyway?"

"We engaged an army of undead cybertronian warriors," explained Ratchet as Bumblebee and Optimus joined the group.

"Zombies?" asked Miko. Then she exploded, "You fought zombies and I missed it!?"

"Wasn't your Walking Dead video, Miko," said Aria. Noting the others confused looks, she said, "TV show about a group of people surviving the Zombie Apocalypse."

"Bulkhead," said Optimus sternly, "You excersized extremely poor judgement in allowing the other humans to accompany you."

Bulkhead stood, "It won't happen again, Optimus," he said, "I promise."

"But it wasn't Bulkhead's fault," said Miko.

"She does have a point, Optimus," said Aria, "Miko snuck after Bulkhead and Jack and Raf followed to get her back."

"And check it out!" said the younger girl, pulling out her phone, "Recon! Hey!" she said when Aria snatched the phone from her hands.

"I doubt they can see that, Miko," she said, "And besides this sciency stuff, why do you have a picture of a Vehicon?"

"I thought Jack said to take a picture of it!" said Miko as Aria plugged it into Raf's computer and pulled it up onto the cybertronian computer.

Optimus peered at it for a few seconds, then said, "Ratchet, have a look. It may be of importance to Megatron."

"Whoa, wait," said Jack, stepping forward, "Megatron's back? That's... that's bad news, right?"

"You should've seen the Con that tried to kill us!" said Miko, "Bulk' smashed right through it's grill."

Jack exploded at that statement. "Miko! Raf was almost killed! This isn't a game, when are you gonna get that through your thick skull?!"

"We were all almost killed!" said Miko, "You, me, Raf, Aria, even them!" she pointed to the Autobots.

"We all take risks during war, Jack," said Aria, "I've been taking risks since I lost my family, getting ready for something that I know will come one day."

Jack stared at her for a few seconds, then said, "Well, if this was an average day with the Autobots, then I don't want to be a part of it! Not anymore!"

"Jack," said Optimus, causing the teen to look up at him, "Putting you in harms way was never our intent. However, it is no longer the safety of you four that is at risk, but the safety of all humankind. We will respect your descision if you wish to leave."

Ratchet opened the Groundbridge and said, "No point in long goodbye's. Here's the door."

Jack turned to look at Raf. "C'mon Raf."

The younger boy looked at Jack, then at Bumblebee, who looked down at the floor, then said, "I'll be okay, Jack. See you at school."

"Sure thing," said Jack, sounding slightly shocked. When he walked down the stairs, Arcee stepped in front of him, her arms crossed. "I know," he said, "You don't exist."

"Don't make me hunt you down," said Arcee as he walked past him, then her head bowed.

As Jack walked through the Groundbridge, and it powered down, Aria said, "he'll be back. Just wait."

**()**

Aria stood on the catwalk next to Ratchet, looking at the picture that Miko had provided from the Decepticon warship. Her eyes widdened. "Ratchet," she said, "Perceptor finally recognized those."

"As do I," replied Ratchet, "Optimus!" As soon as Optimus had joined them, the medic explained, "These are engineering specs for a space-time vortex generator."

"Megatron's building a Spacebridge," realized Optimus, "If he hasn't already."

"Those haven't been used in ages, right?" asked Aria.

Optimus nodded as Bulkhead, who had gotten back from dropping off Miko, said, "The sooner he leaves, the better."

"Bulkhead," said Optimus, turning, "A Spacebridge runs in two directions. Megatron may not be using it to leave Earth, but to bring through his conquering army."

"The 'main event' Megatron reffered to?" asked Ratchet, "But the only place Megatron could possibly recruit that many fallen warriors..." his voice trailed off as realization struck him.

"Exactly," said Optimus.

"It's Cybertron," said Arianna, looking sick, "He's going to bring Cybertron's dead to life again."


	9. Darkness Rising part 5

_[Next day]_

Arianna climbed out of Optimus and flew over to the catwalk. "Bee and Bulk' went to go get Miko and Raf?" she asked Ratchet.

"Yes," replied Ratchet, "And Arcee went off somewhere. Didn't say anything though." He was busy typing on the consul, and by the looks of it, he was scanning Earth's atmosphere.

"Anything Ratchet?" asked Optimus.

"Nothing yet," said Ratchet, "but I'll tell you when I find it."

Aria nodded and scratched her hands, which were still covered in bandages. She turned when the sound of cars came out of the tunnel. Bumblebee and Bulkhead came rolling in with their charges. "When'd you get here?" asked Miko when she hopped out of Bulkhead.

"Few seconds ago," said the older girl, "And why'd you head to Jack's place last night?" she asked. She and Optimus had noticed it when they had been driving back to Aria's home.

"Thought maybe I could talk to him," said Miko, shrugging, "He's stubborner than my old cat."

_*Are cat's stubborn?*_ asked Bumblebee, giving an inquiring look at Raf. "Probably only if they're old," said Raf. He hopped onto Bumblebee's offered hand and placed on the yellow Autobot's shoulder.

_**You two enjoying each other?**_ Aria asked Raf telepathically.

_**Sure are!**_ said Raf,_** Bee's teaching me a lot of things about this car game that we both like. And he's really glad that he found someone else besides the rest of the team that understands him.**_

_**Did you, uh-**_

_**Tell him. Well, he asked and I answered. Sorry.**_

_**It's alright.**_ Aria turned to look at Bumblebee, who was looking at her with a mixture of curiosity and awe. _**Please don't look at me like that,**_ she telepathically said to him.

Bumblebee gave a small jolt. _**Uh... sorry. It's just- you're connected to the Allspark! You're like a Prime or something!**_

Aria cocked her head slightly when she heard his voice. It was different than the one he was currently using, this one sounding more mature and less robotic. Almost like her old friend Issac. _**Were you looking at Optimus that way when he got the Matrix?**_ she asked him.

_**For a few solar cycles,**_ he said, _**then I realized that he was still the same 'bot that I knew before he became a Prime. So, I stopped with the whole 'Oh my Primus' thing.**_

_**Well, there's no need for you to do that with me,**_ she said with a smile.

Bumblebee gave a slightly sheepish look at her, then he gave a small nod. Optimus was watching the whole thing and he gave a small smile. _She'll still be the same youngling that we all know,_ he thought to himself.

Everyone gave a small start when the consul beeped. Ratchet checked it and said, "Optimus, I have pinpointed the location of Megatron's Spacebridge." He turned around with a frown on his face as he finished, "_high_ in Earth's orbit."

"Out of our reach?" asked Optimus.

"Okay," said Miko, "So you guys can't fly. But can't you just Groundbridge there?" she asked, gesturing to the archway that made up the Groundbridge.

"The Groundbridge has limited range," said Ratchet, slowly and gesturing with his servos, "Stretched all that way into orbit it's vortex could snap and scatter us to the stars."

Miko looked downright shocked when he said that, and Raf gave a slight wince. That definitely didn't sound good. But Aria said, "Well, maybe I could help increase the range a bit."

"How could you do that?" asked Miko, she and Bulkhead looking at her.

"You'll see," she said.

"Aria is right," said Optimus, "Since Megatron is already likely in transit, I'm afraid we must take that risk. Reaching the Spacebridge first is our only means of stopping him."

"But are you sure you can do it?" asked Ratchet, "Have you completely recovered from yesterday?"

"It's just some cuts," she assured the medic, "Other than those, I'm perfectly alright. More than able to help increase the Groundbridge."

"Could you just make one?" he asked in a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Making stabilized wormholes that can reach anywhere is out of my league still I'm afraid," she said to him, "So if you ask for a Spacebridge, sorry."

Raf and Bumblebee looked at each other in shock. _"He knows?"_ they both asked at the same time.

"Of course he knows," she said, "He came with us yesterday, didn't he?"

Before Miko or Bulkhead could ask what was going on, a horn came from the entrance tunnel. Arcee came out, a familiar human on her back. Arcee stopped and allowed Jack to climb off her back. He removed his helmet and asked in a sheepish tone, "Hey. Guess who's back?"

As Arcee transformed, Optimus said, "Autobot's, prepare for departure."

Jack's face fell and he looked up at Arcee as she asked, "Where to?"

"The final frontier," replied Miko.

"Whoa-_ space?_" said Jack in a shocked voice, "I-I thought they didn't have a way to get there!"

"They don't," said Raf as Bumblebee let him off his shoulder, "Not really," he added.

Jack nodded and said to Arcee, "Uh- be seeing you?" Arcee gave a small shrug and a light smile as Ratchet fired up the Groundbridge.

"Be careful, Bee?" asked Raf, clinging on to Bumblebee's ped.

_*I'll be careful,*_ said Bumblebee. He stood up from his kneeling position and joined Arcee and Optimus in front of the Groundbridge.

"I'm so jealous!" said Miko to Bulkhead.

"Don't even think about following me," he said to her.

"Good luck, Optimus," said Aria. He turned to look at her and gave a gentle nod. "I will see you soon. I promise." he told her.

"You better keep that promise," said Ratchet, "Because if you leave me stranded on a planet teeming with humans, I will _never_ forgive you." Aria was tempted to smack him, but then she saw the humor in his optics.

Optimus's smile widened slightly and he said, "Until we meet again old friend." As the battlemask slid over his face, Aria knelt down on the catwalk and touched the top of the Groundbridge controls. A slight glow emenated from her hand and she said, "You're good. Happy hunting, guys."

"Autobot's, roll out!" said Optimus. The four Autobots- Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Arcee- transformed into their vehicle modes and sped through the waiting vortex. After a minute or so, Ratchet detected four life-signals on the Spacebridge. "They made it," he said, giving a sigh of relief.

Aria stood up and wiped a few beads of sweat off her forehead. That was harder than she thought it would be. "You okay?" asked Jack as the three remaining teens joined her up on the catwalk.

"Yeah," she said, "Just give me a minute. That was tougher than I thought it would be."

"How did you do that?" asked Miko.

"Later. 'Cons are here," she said, turning to look at the consul. However, to everyone's confusion, the Decepticons hadn't done anything.

Arcee voiced what was on everyone's minds. ***Well, what are they waiting for?***

After a few seconds, Optimus said, ***It appears the Decepticon's have sustained serious damage to their interstellar navigation system.***

***Huh,*** said Bulkhead, ***That's my handiwork!***

Aria looked at Miko as she said, "Oh yeah! Bulkhead tore off the top part of that satellite-looking thingie on the top part of the 'Con's ship and tossed it at them!"

"So they can't use it to pinpoint Cybertron," said Arianna, smiling slightly, "Nice going, Bulk'."

"Don't the Decepticon's know where their own planet is?" asked Raf.

"Naturally," said Ratchet, "But Cybertron in many light-years away. To reach their target, their aim must be _astronomically_ precise."

"But if the 'Cons are here..." Aria mused.

***Then he must have an alternate targeting system. a remote one.*** finished Optimus.

"_Hmmph!"_ scoffed Ratchet, "From what I know of Earth's technology, I doubt there exists a single radio telescope dish powerful enough to pinpoint Cybertron."

"What about a whole bunch of linked telescope dishes?" asked Raf, typing on one of the computers on the catwalk, bringing up a picture that Aria recognized. "The Giant Sized Array in Texas," she said, "I went there on a field trip when I was twelve. Preceptor said that if humans used it properly, they could find Cybertron."

"Zip-dip-dip!" said Ratchet, looking a little huffily at the humans, "This is not child's play!"

However, Optimus said, ***Good thinking you two. Ratchet, have Agent Fowler alert the array staff to the security hazard.***

"Uh, but isn't Fowler still-?" the older girl started to say, but was interrupted. Everyone turned to look at the Federal Agent as he sat up and pointed at Ratchet, saying, "_You!_ Soldier! You're out of uniform! Put on some pants!" He then fell back onto the medical bed.

With the sound of the Terror Twins laughing uproariously in her head, Aria winced and said, "I was going to say catatonic, but now I'm just gonna say plain loopy." She rubbed her temples and said to the twins,_ "While I will admit that that was funny, shut up! Trying to save the world here!"_

"_I'm sorry!" _said Sideswipe, _"It's just-!"_

"_Put on some pants, Doc!"_ giggled Sunstreaker. The Twins dissolved into laughter again, falling to the floor.

"_He was way funnier yesterday,"_ said Amalgamos, giggling with the Twins.

"I'll have to hold your word to it," she muttured to herself as Raf resumed typing on the computer. "Ugh! I can't get past the array's firewalls!" he finally said, "They're too thick!" he slammed his hands on the desk.

Ratchet looked at him in surprise and asked, "You actually think _you_ could keep the Decepticon's out?"

"Maybe," said Raf, "_If_ I could get in."

Aria gave a gasp and looked at Jack, who looked back at her. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked her.

Aria nodded. "If we can't get through the firewalls computer-wise, maybe we could get through them physicaly."

"So how about we get you in?" asked Jack, "Like inside the building in."

Raf perked up. "I could log into their internal network on the other side of the firewall!" he said.

***The risk is too great,*** Optimus said suddenly, ***The Decepticons will be there. Perhaps even on site.***

Jack looked down at the ground before saying, "Optimus, with all due respect, you said it so yourself. This is bigger than the safety of four humans."

"Yeah!" pipped up Miko, "If we let the 'Cons win, we're fragged, along with everyone else on our planet!"

"You guys have done a lot for us," said Aria. Her eyes glowed slightly as she said, "It's our turn to do something for you. We're believing in you. Now it's your turn to believe in us."

Optimus's voice paused for a few seconds, then he asked ***Raf?***

Everyone turned to look at the younger boy, who mulled over the situation before saying, "I want to give it a shot."

***Then go.***

**()**

Raf, Miko, and Jack gave a few moans as they steped out of the Goundbridge portal. "That'll take some getting used to," said Jack, rubbing his head.

"Speak for yourself," said Aria, stretching slightly, "I feel perfectly alright."

"How- whoa," said Miko, seeing that they were at the array. "C'mon," said Aria, "Let's do this."

They all headed inside, on the lookout for Decepticons and any of the array personel. When they finally reached a computer room and Raf was logging on, Miko commented, "Security sure is lax in this place."

"That can't be a good sign," said Aria, looking around nervously.

Raf finally said, "Alright, I'm in... and so are the Decepticons."

"What?" asked Jack.

"How can you tell?" asked Miko.

"He's right," said Aria, looking at the computer screen, "It's the schematics that you took a picture of before. But these look complete."

"And this time," said Raf, holding up his USB drive, "I can download them."

As Raf plugged it in and began the download process, Aria said, "It's definitley the Spacebridge. The 'Cons must be sinking it to the dishes. But we can sink to them."

"Won't they know?" asked Jack.

"Even if they see that I'm in the system," said Raf, "they'll have no idea that I'm in the house!" He got back to typing as Aria looked around again. Something didn't feel right.

"_Be on your guard, Aria,"_ said Prima, _"But remember what Optimus made you promise."_

She nodded, remembering what Optimus said to her before they left for the array.

_[Flashback]_

_***Aria.***_

_The older girl looked back at the consul as Optimus said to her, __***Promise me that you will keep yourself hidden. We cannot let the Decepticons know about you.***_

"_I promise," she assued him. Then, they all went through._

_[End Flashback]_

"What did Optimus mean, by the way?" asked Jack, startling Aria out of her thoughts, "What did he want you to keep hidden?"

Aria noticed Miko looking at her curiously as well, but Raf kept his attention on the computer. Aria gave a small sigh and said, "Jack, you remember what I said about how I had sort of 'teased giant alien robots before'?"

The two teens nodded as she said, "Well, I-." As the room suddenly shook, Aria stumbled and asked, "What happened?"

"They're locked onto Cybertron!" exclaimed Raf, "But not for long." He rapidly typed on the computer as the rumbling continued. Finally, the rumbling stopped and Raf gave a proud grin. "I bet they're scratching their heads right now," he said proudly.

"They'll still keep trying," said Aria, pointing out that the dishes were moving again.

"I'll just undo that again," said Raf, typing once more on the computer.

"What happens when the 'Cons realise they're being punked?" asked Jack to Raf.

"It's only virtual combat," said Raf, "You know, like online gaming."

"Yeah guys," said Miko, looking at the others, "What are the 'Con's gonna do? They're probably like a thousand miles away."

Aria suddenly heard the door open. "And you just jinxed it," she groaned, turning. She gave a yelp when she saw the massive purple tentacle with the tiny little wiggling wires on the end of it slither through the door.

Jack heard her yelp and turned, giving a small exclamation before the tentacle attacked. Aria, Jack and Miko grabbed onto it, managing to stop it from hitting Raf as he continued typing.

Jack was thrown against the wall with Miko, but Aria quickly grabbed onto a bolted-in chair with her legs. "Oh no you don't!" she yelled, "Miko! Grab the axe!"

Raf gave a small yelp as the body of the tentacle slammed into the desk. He quickly grabbed his USB drive and leapt out of the way. As Miko pulled the axe off of the wall and ran forward with a yell, the tentacle gave a jerk, causing Aria to let go and for Miko to slam into the wall again, losing her grip on the axe. Aria dodged the tentacle again and joined her friends. They watched in horror as the wires on the end of the tentacle grabbed the axe and lifted it up.

"You handed it an axe?!" shouted Jack.

"Not good!" said Raf.

Aria stood in front of the others in case the tentacle attacked them, but was rather startled when the tentacle instead slid out of the room. "Follow it!" she yelled. On a hunch, she flipped her black hood up so that it covered her face, and the four of them chased the tentacle.

They finally burst into a large room with a broken skylight, where the Decepticon that was climbing out of it turned to look at them. Aria was rather startled to see that it didn't have a real face, only a blank visor. _"Kid! That's Soundwave!"_ yelled Skywarp, _"Get outta there!"_

Miko quickly whipped out her phone and snapped a picture. And in retaliation, an image of them appeared on Soundwave's face, with only the lower part of Arianna's face showing. Then he transformed into a military surveilance jet and sped off. "Why is he leaving?" asked Miko.

Raf looked around for a few seconds before walking over to the fire axe that Soundwave had taken from them, now buried into a long cable. "He cut the hardline," he said sadly, "The dishes are locked onto Cybertron. For good."

Aria looked over at one of the dishes, _Could I-_ she thought to herself.

"_You can't move them manualy,"_ said Perceptor, _"Even with super strength. They're designed so that they can't be moved that way."_

"Well, that's dumb," said Aria, "Might as well head back then. We've done all we can here."

**()**

When they made it back, they found that not only had Fowler finally woken up, but the Spacebridge had been activated, and Ratchet was now reading something coming through the vortex. "Optimus!" he said into the com-link, "I'm registering a masively expanding mass in their Spacebridge vortex. One with a peculiar energy signature."

Aria nodded to Folwer as he hobbled forward to join the group. She turned when Optimus said, ***Dark Energon. Ratchet, we must destroy the Spacebridge.*** As Ratchet's face fell, Optimus continued, ***There's enough live energon coursing through it to achieve detonation. But we lack the firepower to ignite it!***

"If I knew how the Spacebride was engineered," said Ratchet "I might find a technological way of accomplishing that feat." He looked at Raf as he nervously held up his USB drive and asked, "Um, would schematics help?"

Ratchet was silent for a few moments before saying, "Optimus, I must say, the Spacebridge is our only sole hope of ever returning to Cybertron. Are you certain it's destruction is the only option?"

***...I'm afraid so.*** said Optimus, a note of sadness entering his voice.

Ratchet's, however, turned to one of courage and determination. "Then by all means," he declared, "Let us light our darkest hour!"

After a few moments, Optimus said, ***Autobots, take your positions and follow Ratchets' lead... while I make my stand.***

Aria's eyes widened, "He's going to fight Megatron, isn't he?"

"He'll have to," said Ratchet, rapidly typing on the consul as Raf plugged in his USB drive, "Otherwise the Decepticons will find out our plans before we want them to."

She nodded as Fowler asked, "So, how come I didn't see you yesterday?"

"Long story," said Aria, sitting down next to Raf, who was typing rapidly on the keyboard. He, Aria and Ratchet studied the schematics for a while until Arcee commed them. ***Ratchet, we're in position.***

"Arcee," said Ratchet, "Pay very close attention." As he began a step-by-step procedure on how to destroy the Spacebridge, Aria closed her eyes, listening to the Primes, who were watching Optimus's fight with Megatron. _"Will he make it?"_ she asked Solus Prime.

"_It has been a few years since Optimus and Megatron last fought,"_ said Solus worriedly, _"The warlord has improved."_

"_We can't just sit here!"_ said Nexus impatiently.

Aria realized what they were saying. Optimus was losing. _No!_ she thought ferociously, _I won't let that happen!_

Then suddenly, something flashed through her and she heard the Primes give a few startled yells. _"What the heck-!"_ yelled Leige and Vector Prime.

Aria was quiet confused as well. Her powers had acted on their own for the second time in the past few days. But how?

**()**

_[Spacebridge]_

Optimus Prime looked up at Megatron as the warlord approached. As he raised his sword, a voice on his com-link said, ***Master?***

"Starscream," snarled Megatron, "What is it?!"

***I do not wish to question your all-seeing wisdom,*** said the Seeker second-in-command, ***But I believe the Autobots are up to something again, beneath your bridge this time.***

"Ah," said Megatron, turning to look at Optimus, who was on his hands and knees, "Misdirection, Optimus. You would've made a fine Decepticon!" Megatron raised his blade to kill Optimus.

Something flashed through Optimus then, and a briliant flash of light appeared from his body, stopping Megatron from striking him. He felt his wounds healing and his right blade- which had been sliced in half by Megatron a few seconds previously- grew back to it's full length. He stood up and said to Megatron, who was staring at him with anger and shock, "I chose my side!" His blade sheathed, switching out for a blaster, and Optimus fired, blasting Megatron away.

As the warlord transformed and shot off, Optimus turned on his com-lik and said, "Arcee, Megatron is coming for you! Be ready!"

He gave a grateful smile to the planet below and thought, _I do not know what you did, Aria. But thank you._ As the bridge started to come apart at his feet, he took off for the edge of the Spacebridge.

**()**

"You okay?" Aria looked at Raf as he asked her quietly, a note of worry in his voice. "I'm okay," she assured him, "But something happened. I'll tell you later."

"Optimus," said Ratchet, "The Groundbridge is ready and waiting."

Aria heard the Autobots jump in, and the humans rushed to the end of the catwalk, looking at the swirling portal. Raf asked in a frightened voice, "Do you think they're-?" He didn't finish his question.

Ratchet held up a monitor and said, "Four lifesignals. One very faint."

Everyone watched the portal nervously. Finally, Optimus stepped through. Aria gave a massive sigh of relief and gave a grateful smile. Optius gave her a gentle nod. He knew she would rather fly right at him and give him a big hug at the moment, but she didn't.

Miko's face split into a wide smile as Bulkhead came through, looking up to see her charging forward with the others following her at a slower pace. "Bulkhead!" she yelled. He knelt down and stretched out a servo, which she happily hugged. Everyone turned to look back at the Groundbridge and Jack's eyes widened in shock when he saw who came through.

It was Bumblebee, carrying a very still Arcee.

Jack rushed up to her, watching her face. Miko laid a gentle hand on Jack's shoulder as she, Aria and Raf joined him. "We lost one this week," said Ratchet in a grave voice, "By the Allspark, don't let it be two."

Aria's jaw set in a determined line. She walked forward, laying a hand on Arcee's limp servo and closing her eyes. No one but Optimus saw the gentle light that came from her hand. After a few moments, she opened her eyes as Jack came forward and placed his hand on Arcee's while Aria removed hers.

After a few moments, Arcee opened her eyes. Aria gave a small sigh of relief and a few tears came from her eyes.

"Arcee," said Jack, relief in his voice.

"Jack... really?" the femme asked in amusement, "There are other motorcycles in the world."

"Yeah," said Jack, "but you're my first."

"And Megatron?" Ratchet asked Optimus, who was standing next to him.

"Not even he could have survived ground zero," said Optimus. He looked at Aria, who gave a shrug. _**He's not in the Allspark, if that's what you're asking. I just can't sense him. It could be because he used Dark Energon. I can't sense stuff like that. **_Optimus's sagged slightly at the news.

"Prime!" Everyone turned to look at Fowler as he said, "I never got to thank you 'bot's for the save. I owe you one." He climbed into the elevator and said, "We all do."

Bumblebee carefully helped Arcee stand up, and she gave a gentle, yet pained smile. It was clear she was still hurting from her wound. "Alright, Arcee," said Ratchet, gently taking her arm, "Let's get you cleaned up."

As they headed to the med-bay, Miko got a strange look on her face and turned to Optimus. "So," she asked, "Is this the part where you say goodbye and tell us to forget that we ever saw you?"

Optimus looked at them for a few second, looking expecially at Aria. He then said, "I do not see any reason why we should tear apart the bonds that we have forged together. If you wish to continue to stay with us, then I am alright with it."

Jack, Miko and Raf gave happy cheers and Aria gave a fist pump. Then Jack turned to her and said, "So, now that all the crazy stuff is over, could you answer the question that I asked you when we were at the array?"

Aria looked at Miko and Jack, then at Bulkhead and Arcee, who was staring at her with curiosity in their optics. She gave a sigh and said, "Alright. But before I do explain, I just want to say that I'm still the same girl that you guys know. I just have a few, uh... unexpected things about me."

"It goes something like this..."

**()**

_[Optimus's office]_

Aria sat beside Optimus and said, "Arcee was pretty glad to hear that Cliff's okay."

"We all are," said Optimus, smiling at her.

She looked up at him and asked, "Is there a reason why you wanted me here?"

Optimus nodded and said, "I just wanted to say... thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving my life and Arcee's."

Aria gave a shrug and said, "I just helped Arcee back. She was close to the edge. As for saving you, your welcome. But..." Here she paused, confusion crossing her face.

"Is something wrong?" asked Optimus, noticing the look on her face.

"It's my powers," she said, "They completely acted all on their own. It scares me. I just didn't want you to get hurt, then something flashed through me. Startled the Primes pretty badly though. Even they don't know why they acted like that."

Optimus looked contemplative for a few seconds, then he said, "Perhaps that is a mystery we will discover. In the mean time," he held out a servo and allowed Aria to climb on, "Let's take you home."

_Without a means of leaving this world, we Autobots take strength in the bonds we have forged with our four young friends. True warriors, if not in body, then in spirit. My name is Optimus Prime, and I send this message. Though we did not choose to be of Earth, it would seem we are here to stay, if any of you approach this planet with hostile intent, know this; we will defend ourselves, we will defend humanity, we will defend... our home._

**And that's the end of the Darkness Rising saga! Hope you guys enjoyed that. Next we're getting on to the other part of the story line. **

**R&R**


	10. Masters & Students

Aria sat on Optimus Prime's shoulder. They were both sitting silently, Optimus with a slightly gloomy feel about him. Aria was only quiet because she was talking to Perceptor about Raf's science project, which she was helping with.

Ratchet walked up behind them, noticing their quietness. "Optimus, why so glum?" he asked his leader, "This planet, all planets, are finally free from Megatron's tyranny."

"I do not disagree, Ratchet," Optimus replied, looking up at the Groundbridge, "It's just... a small part of me hoped to change Megatron's mind. Not extinguish his spark."

"Optimus!" exclaimed Ratchet, sounding slightly scoldish, "His spark was not slain by your own hands, but by his own twisted arrogance!"

Aria perked up when she felt Optimus' shoulders sag. "Ratchet!" she said, turning around, "That's not exactly the best way to comfort someone who lost a former friend!" She gently patted Optimus' shoulder, causing him to turn and give a small smile.

Ratchet looked down at the ground and said, "I'm sorry. I know the two of you had quite a history."

"But the Megatron I once fought alongside perish eons ago," said Optimus, accepting Ratchet's apology, "The day he chose to become a Decepticon. The Decepticons might be in disarray, but they are not without leadership," he added, turning to Ratchet.

"You mean Mrs. Starscream?" Aria asked, "Honestly, he does look like a girl. Are you sure Primus meant for him to be a femme instead?"

"He's in your head," said Ratchet, chuckling, "Why not ask him? How'd you see him?"

"I, uh, was there when Optimus and Bee rescued Cliffjumper and Arcee," she responded nervously, "I think you saw me," she added, looking at Optimus.

Optimus nodded and said, "Maximo showed me where you were. And while Starscream is no Megatron, he is far from predictable."

"_Prime has a point," _said Skywarp in Aria's head, _"Screamy's too unpredictable. I lost count of how many schemes he came up with to try and take command of the Decepticons."_

"_And Megatron didn't kill him why?"_ she asked him.

"_Maybe because he needed a living punching bag,"_ said Thundercracker, _"I lost count of how many times Megatron punched Starscream in the face after a plan went wrong too."_

That's when the sound of an explosion caused all of us to jump. "Decepticons!" yelled Ratchet.

"No, actually," said Aria, "That was probably Raf's science project exploding." She hopped off of Optimus' shoulder and gave a small yelp when she suddenly appeared on the ground next to the Groundbridge controls. "That's a new one," she said to herself, then followed the two Autobots into the other room.

"It's alright Ratchet!" called out Raf, looking at the pile of melted paper in front of him and Bumblebee, "It was just my science project. Former science project." he added in disappointment.

"Were you using potassium and water?" asked Aria, walking up to him and Bumblebee as she used her powers to put it into a garbage bag she had brought along with her when she came to base. When Raf nodded, she said, "You probably had too much potassium. And what's wrong with the old baking soda and vinegar trick?" She happened to notice Ratchet's optic twitching as Optimus looked around in curiosity.

Miko was busy painting a sculpture of the solar system, trying to paint Jupiter's red spot and telling Bulkhead to hold still. Arcee and Jack were in a corner trying to figure out how to put a motorcycle engine together with some schematics that Aria had give them.

Finally, Ratchet asked, "What's going on in here?"

"_Ten seconds,"_ commented Perceptor, _"I was expecting shorter."_

"Our projects are due tomorrow," responded Jack as Arcee held up what looked like an exhaust port and said, "Maybe it needs one of these... doohickeys."

"You're a motorcycle, Arcee," said Jack, sounding slightly teasing, "Shouldn't you know how to build a motorcycle engine?"

"You're a human, Jack," retorted Arcee, "Can you build me a small intestine?"

"Owch! Burn!" said Aria, laughing at the look on Jack's face. "Hey!" he yelled at her, "Shut up!"

"And what is your project, Aria?" asked Optimus, looking at me.

"Since I'm a senior this year," said Aria, "my project is to help someone in the younger grade get theirs done. Raf asked for my help, so I'm his partner."

"But you can't do your science projects in here!" protested Ratchet, "You'll make a mess!"

"But our projects are due tomorrow," sad Raf, frowning slightly.

"Yeah!" said Miko, "If Bulkhead doesn't help me finish with this model of the solar system..."

"Oh?" said Ratchet, "And what does Bulkhead know about the solar system? Or Bumblebee about volcanoes? Or..."

"Arcee with motorcycles?" added Jack.

"Well, that's another reason the 'bots are helping," said Aria, "So they can learn about earth! Can you drop your pride for one minute and learn something about our kind? Perceptor likes learning about this kind of stuff, so why don't you?"

"Well, for one," said Ratchet, "I am a medic, not a scientist! And two-"

"We are their guardians, Ratchet," said Optimus, smiling at his friend gently, "Would it hurt to learn more about earth by helping our young friends with their schoolwork?"

"Well," said Ratchet, looking away, "maybe our young friends should try to learn something about Cybertron."

"Like what?" Aria asked, "About Cybertrons landmarks? Like the Hydrax Plateau, close to the Well of Allsparks, which is where Cybertronians come from when they are made? Or the Sonic Canyons, the deepest and longest set of canyons on Cybertron? Or the Iaconian Plains, which holds Cybertrons oldest and capital city, Iacon?"

Everyone stared at her with shocked expressions. "What?" she asked innocently, "Perceptor doesn't just teach me math and science, you know."

Ratchet just walked away with a slightly dumbfound expression on his faceplates as Optimus gave a slight chuckle. Arcee gave a dry chuckle and said, "Not every day that someone can one-up the doc."

"I heard that Arcee!" came a call from the other room. Arcee just winked at Aria, who giggled.

_*Have you back-talked to anyone we know?*_ asked Bumblebee.

"Oh yeah," said Aria, helping Raf start to set up his volcano again, "Ironhide and Sunstreaker started a sass competition one time. Finally, a little tired of it, I just got up and one-upped them so hard that Sunstreaker fainted and Ironhide nearly fainted himself. Those two were quiet for days."

"How'd you one-up them?" asked Bulkhead, he and Miko turning to look at her in curiosity.

Aria looked at all the Autobots present and cleared her throat before saying, **"I told them to put a sock in it, and when Ironhide came back on, he asked me when I had learned how to speak Iaconian dialect."**

Ratchet peeked into the room as Optimus' sevo clapped to his mouth as he struggled not to laugh. The others just went into an uproar, Bulkhead having to set down Miko's model so he wouldn't drop it and Arcee just collapsing to the floor, trying hard to intake. Bumblebee was laughing very hard and managed to play a radio clip that said, _***You're killing me, Smalls!***_ That only made the laughter worse.

"What did she say?" asked Miko.

So Aria told them in english and Miko and Raf burst out laughing while Jack, who was taking a drink from a water bottle, gave a snort and the water came pouring from his nose. Ratchet just continued to look on at Aria, who was laughing at Jack, who was waving his hands in front of his nose and saying, "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow..."

Aria later told Optimus that Ironhide and Sunstreaker were oddly quiet for the rest of the day.

**()**

As soon as everyone had calmed down, Aria and Raf were talking to Bumblebee about Cybertron, and Bumblebee had told them how much he had wanted to be a warrior. "But I've see you in action, Bee!" said Raf, "You're awesome!"

"Yeah!" agreed Aria, "A couple of the guys in the Allspark say you can tangle with the best of them! Even a few of the 'Cons agree! How come you haven't been promoted from scout already?"

Optimus came forward, laying a servo on Bumblebee's shoulder, "I second your opinion, Aria," he said, "But Autobot life cycles are much longer than those of humans. And although it may be hard to believe, our young scout still has much to experience."

"Really?" asked Aria. She turned to Bumblebee and asked, "How old are you?"

Bumblebee thought for a few seconds, then said, _*In earth years, I'd probably be about as old as you. Maybe a bit older.*_

"So, you'd be eighteen or nineteen?" she asked incrediously, "Wow. I thought in earth years, you'd be around twenty-three or twenty-two."

Bumblebee shrugged, then looked up as the monitor beeped. Everyone turned to look at Ratchet as he said, "Exposed energon. And it's on the move."

"And since we're not the ones moving it," Bulkhead growled, "guess who is?"

"Decepticons," snarled Arcee.

"Without Megatron?" asked Miko in shock.

"Unfortunately, Megatron's legacy will live on, as others rise to take his place" said Optimus, turning to the younger girl. He then said to the team, "Autobots, you have projects to complete. Ratchet, I may require aid."

Ratchet looked at the kids and Aria and all the voices in her mind went, _"Uh oh,"_ at the look on his face. "Science is a big part of their grade, Optimus," Ratchet finally said, "Perhaps I'm better suited to remain behind and advise."

"Very well," Optimus said. He turned to Bumblebee and said, "Bumblebee, let us see about the energon in transit."

As the two Autobots walked over to the portal, Aria mentally contacted Optimus and said, _**"Optimus, Ratchet has that mad scientist look about him. He might mess things up."**_

Optimus turned to look at her and responded, in an eerily humerous voice, _**"Then perhaps you can teach him a few things about earth."**_

Aria looked at her guardian, then said, _**"One-up him?"**_

"_**One-up him,"**_came the reply. Then, Optimus and Bumblebee left through the portal.

Aria grinned and rubbed her hands together. This was going to be rich. Now how to proceed with this?

**()**

She finally got her chance when Ratchet tried to take over Jack's project, even though he was nearly done with it and Raf's volcano was finished and tested- Perceptor had recommended doing baking soda and vinegar, which had worked out well- and Aria was helping Miko with stringing up her solar system. Aria had rolled her eyes and said, "Okay, Ratchet? A word if you please?" She guestered to the other side of the room.

Ratchet gave her a sour look, but when he tried to argue, she shot him a look that made him nod and follow her. She thought she heard Miko go, "Oooooooh." when she got up, but that only made her grin.

Once they were there, Aria asked Ratchet, "How exactly would you do the projects?"

"Well," said Ratchet, looking a little pleased that she was asking him, although he thought it was for advice, "Rafael's volcano I would make bigger, Miko should have a model of Cybertron, and Jack should have a proton engine." He nodded after he finished.

"So, you're saying that you would replace it all with cybertronian stuff?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes," said Ratchet.

"When they should actually have earth stuff?"

Ratchet looked at her with a grumpy expression and started, "Now, look-"

"No," she interrupted him, "Let me finish. We're all supposed to be doing stuff that comes from earth. This isn't Cybertron or some kind of youngling science fair. This is an earth science fair, where we need to have earth stuff. So like I said, if you would like to help with the science fair, which I'm pretty sure we're just about done here, then follow the advice I gave earlier and drop your cybertronian pride for at least ten minutes." She then nodded and started to walk away. When she heard Ratchet trying to scoop her up, she didn't want to find out why, she quickly teleported back to Miko's side. Bothe her and Bulkhead jumped when she popped up next to them. "That's a new one," commented Miko.

"But it comes in real handy," she said, sticking Saturn onto a wire and placing it beind Jupiter.

**()**

The next day, Optimus asked how the science fair went. "Straight A's for everyone!" said Aria, high-fiving Raf, Miko, and Jack.

_*Sorry I missed helping,*_ said Bumblebee, picking up Raf and putting him on his shoulder, _*Me and Optimus had to deal with Skyquake. Is he in there?*_

"Yeah," said Aria, "but he's not talking to me. No surprise there."

While they had been completing their science projects, Optimus and Bumblebee had found Starscream and Soundwave trying to bring back online a Decepticon warrior named Skyquake. Skyquake had attacked Optimus after the pleasentries had been dealt with, and with a passing by Agent Fowlers help, Optimus and Bumblebee had been forced to kill Skyquake, but Bumblebee had noticed during the fight that Starscream had left, although Soundwave had remained behind.

Aria noticed Ratchet beckoning to her. She teleported in front of him and he gave a small start. "Please don't do that," he asked.

"No promises," she told him, "Now then, what can I do for you?"

Ratchet looked a little nervous for a few seconds, then said, "I'm not sure why I'm asking this, but is there any way that I can learn a little more about earth's science? Anything you could reccomend?"

"_Whoa!"_ said Sideswipe in shock, _"Doc's dropping his pride? Somebot pinch me!"_

Aria looked down at the ground and gave a small smile as there came a yelp, then she looked up at Ratchet and said, "Well, there are a few websites I could reccomend. Want me to give them to you?"

Optimus watched as the two of them conversed together, and Aria pulled out a notebook from the satchel hanging at her waist and started scribbling on it. He gave a small smile. Maybe Ratchet could learn a thing or two from her.

He was glad she was his companion.


	11. Scrapheap

Arianna looked up as her phone gave a buzz, signaling a new text. She flipped open her phone and looked at the words across the screen.

_Bee and I are on our way- Raf._

"No Optimus," mused Aria, "This should be good." She put her phone in her pocket and pulled on her hooded vest, black gloves and boots, then headed for the door. "I'm going out!" she yelled to the Chavez's, who were in the kitchen together.

"Be back before dark," Mrs. Chavez called back.

Aria nodded and headed out the door, waiting on the edge of the curb. Raf didn't live too far away, so she wouldn't have to wait long. While she waited, she held up her hand and allowed a slight bit of frost to form. "Not sure why ice powers could come in handy," she mused to herself, although a few people heard her.

"_Well, you never know,"_ said Nauticia, _"Besides, new powers seem to show up whenever you're about to have a problem."_

"_And besides,"_ said Perceptor, _"cold can be devastating to cybertronians with long enough contact."_

"Ah," she replied, then waved as a familiar yellow and black Urbana 500 came around the corner. Bumblebee opened the door and let her in. "Hey you two," she said cheerfully as she climbed in, greeting Raf, who was also in the seat behind her, "Optimus told you two to pick me up?"

"Although I'm pretty sure you could've flown yourself there," said Raf, a little jokingly.

_*What do you mean by that?*_ asked Bumblebee as they drove away.

"I can fly," said Aria, "but I'm pretty sure Optimus wants me to be as low-profile as I can. So that's why he picks me up."

_*Or why he asks one of us to pick you up,*_ finished Bumblebee, _*I can see why he's worried. I think it's only luck that the Cons haven't found out about you yet.*_

"But it's only a matter of time," she said, "I can't stay hidden forever."

_*Another fair point,*_ said Bumblebee, _*Well, just sit back and enjoy the ride while it lasts.*_

**()**

When the group finally arrived at base, meeting Bulkhead on the way with Miko and Jack, they found Optimus and Arcee standing in front of the Groundbridge, which was online, and Ratchet watching them as they came in. "Missed us, Doc-bot?" asked Miko as she climbed out of Bulkhead.

Ratchet gave a sigh and asked Optimus, "Shouldn't they be in school?"

"It's Saturday!" said Aria, "We don't have school today. We've got the whole weekend off. Besides," she held up a flash drive, "I'm working on something here and Percy helped me finish the math, so I get to work on it today. Yes, I know you don't like being called Percy," she said suddenly, rolling her eyes upwards, "but when do I ever stop with the nicknames." She noticed Ratchet give a slight smile.

She then turned to look at Optimus and Arcee as Jack said, "Wasn't expecting a carpool. What gives, Arcee?" He looked up at the femme.

"Tag team, Jack," explained Arcee, "It's my turn for... exploration duty." She said the last part a little bit dramatically.

"Too bad," said Jack, a slight smile spreading across his face, "It's a beautiful day for a ride. Would hate for you to feel guilty for leaving me indoors."

"Arctic exploration duty," added Arcee, grinning.

"Inside where it's warm!"

"Nice save, Jack-jack," said Aria, laughing, "And an odd coincidence. I got a new power last night." She held up her hands as a miniature snowstorm swirled around her hands.

"Definitely inside where it's warm," said Jack, standing back a little and shivering.

"I don't know why you're not sweltering!" said Aria, turning to look at him, "You wear long-sleeves all the time and it's like eighty degrees outside!"

"I've been in cold weather a lot in my younger years," said Jack, striding away.

"Like where?" she replied back, "Alaska? New York in the winter time?"

"I would say, 'burn' but considering you are talking of cold places," said Optimus, smiling slightly as everyone turned to look at him.

"You actually have a sense of humor?" said Aria incredulously, "Ironhide never said that you did!"

"There are some things even he didn't know about me," he told her.

"I've always wanted to see snow," said Raf sadly, "I wish I could come with you guys."

"I would invite you to join, Rafael," said Optimus, "But the condition are much to extreme. Even for we Autobots."

"I understand," said Raf, looking down slightly.

Optimus and Arcee started into the Groundbridge, but then Optimus turned and said, "But, perhaps you and Aria could have a little bit of fun."

"Don't worry," said Aria cheerfully, wrapping an arm around Raf's shoulders, "We'll clean up when we're done."

Optimus nodded and he and Arcee headed into the Groundbridge. "Transport complete," said Ratchet. He turned to the consul and gave a yelp as it suddenly sparked and fritzed. "By the Allspark!" he exclaimed. "Not referring to you, Aria," he quickly added at her cough.

"I know," she said, "But what happened?"

"The Goundbridge is down," he said as everyone gathered around.

_*Did Optimus and Arcee make it?*_ asked Bumblebee in worry.

"Optimus and Arcee made it though," reassured Ratchet, "It's bringing them back that concerns me." He turned to Bulkhead and Bumblebee and said, "I need some heavy-lifting. Remove those panels," he told them, pointing to the Autobot insignia on the floor, "Chop-chop."

"We might have to hold off on our winter wonderland spree, Raf," said Aria, turning to look at the younger boy, "How'd you like to come with me to the power converters. Maybe there's something wrong there."

"Sure!" said Raf.

"What do we do?" asked Jack from the balcony.

Aria flew upwards and landed in front of one of the computers, typing on it rapidly before grabbing a tool-kit. "Check the base's hall cameras," she said, turning to him and Miko, "This couldn't have been an accident."

"You think something is inside the base?" asked Bulkhead, looking up from lifting up a floor panel with Bumblebee.

"Well, Groundbridges don't often fritz out on their own," she told him, "Something, or someone, had to have done it like that."

**()**

"Power converters are right in here," said Aria, pointing to one of the massive doors in the hallway.

"How do we get in?" asked Raf, looking up at the switch that would open the door.

Aria winked and handed him the tool kit. Then she flew upwards, pushing the button until the door opened. "It's handy to fly," she told him, "Never know when you have to get to someplace that you can't reach."

"Cool!" said Raf, handing her back the tool kit, "So, do you think the problem with the Groundbridge is here?" he asked her as they went inside the room, which was oddly dark.

"The power converters don't really help to power the Groundbridge," she told him, turning on a flashlight, "But if there is something inside the base, it might've come... here." She looked at the wall in front of her, confusion and worry on her face. Raf looked with her, his own eyes widening.

The wall in front of them was covered in these long gashes, which showed the glittering metal underneath it. The power conduits themselves weren't in better condition themselves, covered in the same long gashes and sparking wildly. "What happened?" asked Raf as Aria swept the flashlight beam around.

"I don't know," said Aria, "But to the others, they look like..." A sudden chattering noise interrupted her, and she whipped the beam around. What she saw made several cybertronians in her head scream like downright little girls.

It resembled a tiny head with large blue-violet optics and a mouth full of rotating teeth. It scuttled along on a bundle of tiny spiky legs. It was headed right for them, it's optics alight and set on her flashlight. "What is that?" yelled Raf as it advanced on them.

"Scraplet!" she yelled, "I hope that what Perceptor said about cold is true with these guys too!" She raised a hand and aimed at the advancing scraplet, and a burst of cold shot from it, striking the pest. It stopped for a few seconds and then fell over, it's optics dimming.

Aria and Raf sighed and Aria approached the scraplet, touching it tentative with her foot before giving a sigh and picking it up. "What's a scraplet?" asked Raf, looking at it.

"Cybertronian pest," she replied, "Eats anything metal. They're really nasty to cybertronians."

"Anything metal?" asked Raf, fear suddenly etched across his face.

"Anything," she told him. "But how did one get in the Outpost? Let's show this to Ratchet."

When they came in, they found Ratchet still puzzling over the Groundbridge with Bulkhead and Bumblebee watching nearby. "Hey Ratchet!" Aria called out, "I think I've found our culprit. Or at least one of them." She held up the scraplet by its legs.

Ratchet turned to her. "What do youuuAAAAUUUGHHH!" he screamed when he saw the dead scraplet. Bulkhead and Bumblebee turned and their own optics bulged when they saw the dead scraplet.

"Don't worry!" she yelled over Ratchet's scream, "It's dead!"

Ratchet calmed down as Miko and Jack looked over the balcony. "What's that?" asked Miko.

"It's a scraplet," said Ratchet, looking at the body in apprehension, "It's practically a cannibal. It eats cybertronians if it wants too. Anything metal is done for when it's around."

"Especially living metal," said Bulkhead, shivering

"And it's the reason why the bridge fritzed?" asked Miko.

"Possibly," said Arianna.

"Well, bug squashed," said Jack, "problem solved. Right?"

A grave look crossed Ratchet's face. "When it comes to scraplets," he told them, "There's never just one. I figure I know how it got in here."

**()**

"So this is what you guys brought back from the arctic?" asked Aria, looking at the pod in front of them.

Ratchet nodded, looking inside the pod with a flashlight. "It's a trap," he explained, "A scraplet trap."

"Uhh," Bulkhead said nervously looking inside of it, "An empty scraplet trap."

"Most likely ejected into space eons ago," Ratchet turned to the rest of them, "Only to wind up in the arctic where the temperature kept it in stasis."

"Until we brought the thaw," said Jack, looking up into the empty trap.

"And now they're wide awake and ready to brunch," said Miko nervously.

"So," asked Raf, "How many are we talking about?"

"With scraplets, it's hard to tell," said Aria, looking into the trap, "But this is big enough to hold a few thousand. Maybe a lot more. But with the power malfunctions and the Groundbridge damage, you can tell they're already deep in the system."

"But what about Arcee and Optimus?" exclaimed Jack, "They're still in the Arctic!"

"The scraplets are already deep in the system," said Aria, "It's possible they already got to the com channels."

"If we don't get rid of these pests immediately," said Ratchet, "They will reduce the entire base to a scrapheap."

"Well I say we bug out of here and let them keep it!" said Bulkhead, Bumblebee nodding in agreement.

"We can't!" said Aria.

"She's right," said Ratchet, "Evacuation is not an option. If we don't get the Groundbridge online stat, Optimus and Arcee will perish."

"They will?" said Jack in worry.

"Cybertronian systems can't handle sub-zero temperatures after a long period of time," explained Aria, "Remember that scraplet I brought in? I had to freeze it to kill it."

"Bulkhead!" exclaimed Miko, turning to her guardian, "You never run."

"Miko, you haven't seen a swarm of these things devour a bot!" said Bulkhead. "I have. They-"

"Oh-kay, Bulkhead," scolded Aria, "No need to scare the kids further. Besides, we can help! We're not metal, so we could do some damage to the scraplets if they try to get to you guys."

"Typically," mused Ratchet, "I find your fleshiness to be your least engaging quality."

"I'll try not to be insulted," said Aria.

"But," continued Ratchet, casting her a look, "It would appear to provide an advantage under these extremes."

"Then we pair off," said Jack, "One bot, one human. Aria and I can have your back while you repair the Groundbridge, Ratchet."

"While the rest of us go on a bug hunt!" declared Miko.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked at each other, their shoulders sagging. This wasn't going to end well.

**()**

"Anything Ratchet?" asked Aria, standing next to Jack with frost covering her hands. Jack was wielding a metal staff that Aria had provided. The two of them looked over at Ratchet as he grave a growl of frustration.

"I've repaired the damaged conductors," he said frustratingly, "and re-routed the central conduits, but the Groundbridge still won't receive power!" He slammed a servo into the ground frustratingly.

"_Then there must be something else," _said Perceptor, _"Perhaps the calibrator is out of sync?"_

"_Ratchet said that it wasn't getting power,"_ said Nauticia, _"So there must be something wrong with the power source."_

"_Guys, I'm on guard duty,"_ Arianna shushed the two tech-heads, _"I'm not in science class. Could you two keep it towards the back please?"_

As she heard the two voices move towards the back, she looked up- and froze.

Scraplets were crawling around on the ceiling, eating at the metal walls. "Jack," she whispered, "Get ready." She motioned upwards.

As Jack looked up, the scraplets looked at Ratchet and their teeth started whirling. They flew off the ceiling straight at Ratchet. "They _fly_?!" yelled Jack, "You never said they could fly!"

"_Be grateful they don't combine!" _Ironhide yelled as Jack and Aria rushed forward to help a besieged Ratchet, Aria freezing them while Jack slammed his metal staff into them.

"_I do not need that image in my head!"_ Aria yelled in her mind, pulling some of the frozen scraplets off of Ratchet.

Ratchet looked up and yelled "Jack! The fire extinguisher!"

Jack quickly grabbed it and raced back towards the Autobot medic, spraying him with white mist. "Even more cold! It seems to be more effective," agreed Aria, freezing the scraplets even more. The scraplets started to fall by the dozens. Ratchet collapsed on the ground as Jack kept on spraying him and Aria set up a cloud of cold over them to stop the scraplets from getting to him.

Aria looked up as more whirling sounds approached, as well as footsteps. Bulkhead and Bumblebee came limping in with Miko and Raf following close behind. "Ratchet!" yelled Bulkhead, "Grab your med-kit! We're leaking here!"

"No time for that!" yelled Aria, "Grab Ratchet and get down close to the consul! I'll handle the rest!"

Bulkhead and Bumblebee looked up into the scraplets that started to head towards them, then nodded and pulled Ratchet towards the Groundbridge controls. "Jack! Miko! Raf! Stay with them and take care of any scraplets that get through!" commanded Aria. The other three humans nodded and rushed towards their guardians. As soon as they were at the consul, Aria set up a cloud of cold over them.

The scraplets started to whirl around, wondering where their prey went. "Sorry, boys," said Aria, a small blizzard whirling around her, "Lunchtime is over!"

A massive shockwave of cold blasted out from her body. All the scraplets in the room were instantly frozen, a few of them still chattering a bit. Aria gave a deep sigh and relaxed, saying, "Not gonna do that again anytime soon." She held up a hand and dispersed the cloud.

Jack, Miko, and Raf came forward, leaving a groaning Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee, helping to take care of the remaining scraplets. "Did you get them all?" asked Jack.

"I don't think so," said Aria, listening to the buzzing sounds around the base, "There's a lot more where they came from."

"These were just scouts," groaned Ratchet. Bumblebee gave a buzz of annoyance and laid back on the ground as Bulkhead asked, "So... the rest of them know we're in here?"

"And if we allow ourselves to become their next meal," added Ratchet, "Optimus and Arcee will never make it home. We must get the Groundbridge operational!"

"Then," said Raf, an idea entering his head, "We could use it to send the scraplets anywhere on earth?"

"It's a pity we can't send it to the Con's warship," said Aria ruefully, "I would love to see Screamy get a load of that."

"But how about to the Arctic?" suggested Jack, holding up his now empty fire extinguisher, "We already know that they don't do cold."

"Suh-weet!" cheered Miko, hefting her wrench, "One stop shopping!"

"Given the body mass of the scraplets," Ratchet thought aloud, "sub-zero temperatures should freeze them on contact. So think, Ratchet. Think!" He rubbed the back of his helm as he thought aloud, "If the Groundbridge is still down... then... there must be a breach in the energon fuel line!" he finished triumphantly.

"Since you guys can't patch it up," said Aria, "We'll do it. Jack, you took a welding class, right?" she asked, turning to him.

"Yeah," he replied.

"You take the lead then," she told him, heading over to a small closet located on the ground and pulled out a tool box with welding materials in it, "Take the entrance hallway. First door on your left. Follow the pipes until you see the breach. Don't weld it directly. Clean up the breach as best as you can, then weld a few plates onto it. That'll be a makeshift bandage until Ratchet can properly fix it."

Jack nodded and turned to Raf and Miko. "Let's go."

"You're not coming?" asked Miko.

"Someone has to stay here and watch the bots," said Aria, "and I'm the best girl for the job."

As soon as the three kids left, Bulkhead asked, "So if we get... when... we get the Groundbridge open, do we send the creepy-crawlies out, or bring our bots in?"

"Optimus and Arcee will be fresh meat," said Ratchet, "If we bring them in first, the scraplets will have no reason to leave. We'll need bait."

"Where are we gonna get bait?" asked Bulkhead, "The scraplets already helped themselves to everything in here!"

"Get down!" yelled Aria as a familiar whirling sound approached, "They're coming!"

Bulkhead gave a small yelp as a massive horde of scraplets came in, crouching down beside Bumblebee, who looked fearfully into the air. Ratchet looked at Aria as two miniature blizzards formed around her hands. "I seriously hope the others hurry," she muttured.

Just then, Jack, Miko and Raf came rushing into the room. "Aria!" yelled Jack, "All systems go!"

"Fire it up!" yelled Miko, her fist pumping brieflyinto the air.

Aria turned to the Groundbridge controls, one of the tiny blizzards around her hands disappearing to be replaced by a white light. The same white light surrounded the levers on the Groundbridge controls. "Groundbridge... activated!" she yelled, pulling back her hand, the levers pulling downwards. The Groundbridge finally roared to life.

Bulkhead looked at Ratchet and Bumblebee, who were still down and with Ratchet nearly unconcious from the pain. Several metal beams crashed down close to hwere he was, causing him to shield his face. Then, he looked over at the Groundbridge. "Bait, huh?" he mused, looking back up at the scraplets. He stood up as quickly as he could.

"Bulkhead!" yelled Aria, "What are you doing?"

"Providing the main course!" said Bulkhead, moving in front of the Groundbridge. "Hey, metal-eaters!" he yelled, catching the scraplets attention, "Come and get it!"

The scraplets started to chase after Bulkhead as he moved into the Groundbridge, leaping through the vortex with the whole swarm chasing after him. "What was he doing?" asked Miko.

"Bait," said Aria, "He was bait."

**()**

Optimus Prime and Arcee, both on their last dregs of energy and nearly frozen, stumbled towards the waiting Groundbridge, both of them nearly falling over. As Optimus stumbled back to his feet, he noticed something coming through the Groundbridge. His optics widened when he saw Bulkhead, covered in scars and scraplets swarming all around him.

Bulkhead saw his two team mates. "Down!" he yelled urgently at them, "Down!" He fell down in the snow as the scraplets flew over and past him, setting their sights on the two weakened Autobots. Optimus saw them coming, and stood protectively in front of Arcee.

Just before the scraplets could reach them, they froze over. Optimus and Arcee shielded themselves as the dead scraplets hit them and bounced off, landing in small piles around them. Arcee and Optimus looked up as Bulkhead brushed a few dead scraplets off of him and said, "I'd invite you in, but the place is a mess."

**()**

A few hours after Bulkhead came back through the Groundbridge with Optimus and Arcee, everyone had finally settled down inside the med-bay. With Bumblebee and Arcee resting on the medical berths, Bulkhead sitting next to the medical chamber, and Optimus and Ratchet settled alongside the wall with Ratchet sitting on a crate, the four humans had gotten to work to help repair the Autobots with Ratchet coaching them.

As Aria moved around, checking on Optimus and Arcee, Ratchet said to Jack, who was keeping an eye on the two Autobots, "Report biometric status."

"Levels are rising," reported Jack, giving a thumbs up.

"Excellent," said Ratchet. He then turned to Miko and Raf and said, "Rafael, keep a close watch on Bumblebee's electro-pulse monitor. Miko, check Bulkhead's interface patch."

"It's steady!" Raf said.

"Looking good!" cheered Miko.

Ratchet nodded and asked Aria, "How are Optimus's and Arcee's systems?"

"Still a little frozen," she reported, "but thawing out nicely. Aparrently generating ice isn't the only thing I can do with my ice powers." She proved her point by helping to remove a little bit of ice from Arcee's arm joints. She gave a sigh of relief and said, "Thanks."

"Perhaps you should get some rest yourself, old friend," Optimus told Ratchet, "You save quite a few lives today."

"It...wasn't all my doing," said Ratchet, watching as Raf and Aria connect an energon line to Bumblebee. The old medic added, "We're just fortunate that this infestation happened... on a Saturday."

"Our human friends may be small," pointed out Optimus, "but they are strong."

That, however, was slightly proven wrong when a very girly scream came from Miko. "Scraplet?" asked Jack as he, Raf, and Aria got into ready positions with their weapons.

"SPIDER!" she screamed, causing everyone to turn and look at her as she asked, "Is it on me?" She raced down the hallway, still screaming.

Jack tossed down his metal staff and crossed his arms in disgust. "Everything we've been through today," he said, "And she's afraid of a spider?"

"Did she just scream like a little girl?" asked Bulkhead, looking down the hallway that Miko had gone.

As Optimus and Ratchet exchanged glances, Aria rolled her eyes and said, "Bulkhead, Miko is a little girl. And you have no idea how long I've been wanting to say that!"

**Author's note: That is actually quite true for me. I've been wanting to say that for a long time. XD**


	12. Kindred Spirits(Con Job)

Arianna looked up as Miko and Bulkhead entered the room, the younger girl talking excitedly with her guardian, with the former Wrecker looking a little contemplative. "Hey there, you two," greeted the older girl, "Having trouble with day plans?"

"You could say that," replied Bulkhead.

A sudden beeping from the consul caused them to turn. "Optimus," said Ratchet, who was at the consul, "I'm recieving a signal on a restricted band. It appears to be coming from a starship inside this solar system."

As everyone gathered around the consul, Aria asked, "What exactly is it?" She looked up at the terminal.

After a few moments, Ratchet said in shock, "It's an Autobot identification beacon!"

"So," asked Jack, "there are other Autobots out there?"

"The masses scattered to the galaxy when Cybertron finally went dark," explained Arcee. She looked up at the terminal and added, "But Cons have been known to bait traps with false beacons."

Optimus looked towards the consul screen. "Unknown vessel," he said as the com channel went on, "This is Autobot Outpost Omega-1. Identify yourself."

After a slight bit of static, a friendly yet gruff voice came on. ***I've had warmer welcomes from Decepticon combat brigades.***

"_WHEELJACK?" _chrorused several voices, one outside of Aria's head, and several dozen inside of it. "Ow!" she yelped, holding her head, "My ears. And my head!"

Bulkhead strode forward, "You old Con crusher!" exclaimed the green Autobot, "What are you doing all the way out here?!"

***Bulkhead?***__came the voice, apparently Wheeljack, ***That you? What's with all the security?***

"The rock we're on is crawling with Cons," explained Bulkhead, "How soon can you get here and help even the odds?"

***Sometime tomorrow,*** came the friendly reply, ***If I put metal to the petal!***

"Another 'Bot's coming here!" cheered Miko, "How cool is that!" Bulkhead nodded in agreement.

"Wheeljack," said Optimus, "I know of him by reputation only. Can you verify his voice print?" he asked Bulkhead.

"He is one-thousand percent the real deal, Optimus!" responded Bulkhead.

Optimus turned to Aria. "According to the others, it's him," she told him.

Optimus turned back to the consul. "We will send landing coordinates, Wheeljack," he said, "Safe journey."

"See you soon, buddy!" said Bulkhead. "I'll make sure you get a proper welcome!"

"So, who's the boyfriend?" asked Arcee when the call ended, joking slightly.

Bulkhead laughed. "Oh, me and Jackie go way back," he explained, "We were part of the same war unit; the Wreckers!" He pounded his fists together as he added, "Which means the Cons are gonna wish that he never found us!"

"Who were the Wreckers?" asked Raf.

"The Wreckers were the heavy-hitters of the Autobots," explained Aria, "They liked to smash and blow up stuff, if I recall correctly."

"Hehe," chuckled Bulkhead, "You could say that. We were the guys that did most of the heavy-lifting. How do you know him?"

"Besides having his name shouted in my head," said Aria, rolling her eyes, "The Old Wreckers told me a bit about him. He's pretty rebellious, isn't he?"

"Eh, you could say that."

"Can't wait to meet him!" said Miko.

"It might have to be a bit later for me," said Aria, "Tomorrow's my training day. Probably won't be back until five."

"Aww," said Miko, "You're gonna miss out on the party."

Aria gave a tiny flinch, then gave a nervous laugh. "I'm... not much of a partier, Miko," said Aria, "Last party I had was in Chicago. Besides, I don't really have much to celebrate."

"Why not?" asked Jack and Arcee.

Aria looked a little downcast as she said, "Probably wouldn't like it if I told you. Consider it my... dark past."

Everyone watched as Aria headed up to the roof, possibly to brood. _*What did she mean by that?*_ asked Bumblebee, looking over at Raf.

The younger boy shrugged. "I don't really know much about her past, either," he told his friend, "All I know that's really dark is that her parents died when she was only three years old."

"That young?" asked Ratchet in shock.

Raf nodded. "But... she's never told me how they died."

**()**

Aria summoned several massive stony figures in the ground in front of her and lept forward, her gloved hands covered in light. Several of the stony structures came apart at the rapid punches she dealt to them. Some of the others were swiftly defeated by a mixture of a wave of frost and energy, and the last two were knocked apart by two energy-enhanced kicks.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Aria whirled around to see Optimus standing at the edge of the clearing she was using. "Not at all," she replied, "Wheeljack finally got to base?"

"Yes," answered Optimus, coming forward and kneeling beside her, "But I'm not one for parties."

"Just like Ironhide said," chuckled the girl, "According to his words, 'Primes never party.'"

"He said that?" Optimus raised an optic-ridge.

"He and several others. A few of the more senior Primes agreed. Amalgamos completely denied the statement. Considering who he is, I could see why."

The two of them chuckled, knowing the Shifter Prime. "So, what are you doing?" the Prime finally asked.

"Training," she said, "Gotta keep my guard up. But it gets boring just training against these stone dummys." She kicked at one of them boredly.

Optimus looked contemplative as he looked around at the stones that littered the ground around them. He looked upwards for a few seconds, then asked, "Would you like to spar against me?"

Aria looked up in shock as several voices in the girl's head went, _"Ooooooooooooooooh!"_

"_Bet he'll take her down in round 1,"_ said Liege Maximo.

"_Oh yeah?"_ said Amalgamos, _"I be you two cubes that she'll be able to take him down in the first round!"_

"_Bets are on!"_ cheered the Terror Twins.

"Alright," said Aria, grinning nervously.

Optimus stood and moved to one side of the clearing, taking up a ready stance. Aria moved over to the other side and levitated a couple of feet in the air until she was level with Optimus's waist. "I'll say this now," she told him, raising her fists, "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"Pre-apology accepted," he told her, "And I am also sorry if I hurt you as well."

"Your pre-apology is also accepted," she replied. Then she darted forward, her fists covered in light.

Surprisingly, Optimus sidestepped out of her way, then his sevo darted forward, attempting to catch her. She spiraled upwards, the blasted a few beams of light in his face, which made him step back. She rushed for his chest, but was forced to fall back as his servo's made for her. She backflipped, skidding a little bit as she landed on the ground.

"Having fun?" he asked her.

"Yup!" she said. She eyed at his legs and arms, then nodded. She rushed forward, but before Optimus could catch her, she darted behind him, kicking a light covered leg straight behind his knee. Optimus gave a startled exclamation, starting to fall, which was very apparent as Aria darted above him and slammed into his chest, causing him to fall to the ground.

Optimus gave a small groan and looked at Aria as she landed on top of him. "Liege," she said, "I believe you owe Amalgamos two cubes of energon."

"They made a bet?" he asked.

"Yup. Want to go again?"

Optimus nodded and Aria allowed him to stand, then they resumed. Aria managed to knock Optimus down twice more. When they had sparred a fourth time, however, Optimus finally caught her. Aria had tried darting around him again, but his servo's came down, and she suddenly found herself trapped in his servos.

"Alright! I give!" she told him. Optimus chuckled and lifted her up, setting her on his shoulder.

"I'll admit," he said as she made herself comfortable, "That was more challenging than I thought it would be."

"Same here," said Aria, her legs dangling off of Optimus's shoulder, "Size doesn't mean everything in the human world."

"It is the same for Cybertronians," said Optimus, "There was a saying that 'The bigger they are-'"

"-the harder they fall?'" finished Aria. At his curious glance, she said, "Similar saying on earth. And it's very true."

Optimus nodded, and the two of them lapsed into a companiable silence. Optimus finally asked, "I was quite surprised that you didn't take of a cybertronian form to spar."

"The Primes say that I shouldn't try that, at least not until I'm strong enough," she told him, "They say I could probably die if I'm not ready. Personally, I have to agree. I don't think I'm quite ready for something like that yet."

"Oh," Optmus looked down for a few seconds, then looked up as Aria said, "Besides, there are a lot of other things that I can turn into. Check this out!" She stood up on his shoulder and jumped off. Before he could give a startled shout, she had transformed into a black, cat-like lizard that landed in front of him. He surprisingly recognised it. "A Nightfury?" he asked in amusement.

"**Hey, It's pretty fun,"** Aria told him telepathically, flapping her wings.** "Might not be much for cover and I'll probably end up on some conspiracy websites if it's not during the night time, but it does pack a punch. And there's a lot more that I can do besides that."** When she said that, she transformed into a falcon.

"That's a little more like it," approved Optimus, nodding.

"**I might just need to watch where I'm transforming," **she said to him, **"I don't think peregrine falcons are native in Jasper, Nevada."**

"What about for land?"

She turned back into her human form. "Besides being human? Just about everything. But I really prefer to fly. It's more fun."

"And more mobile," said Optimus.

"That too." She flew back up to his shoulder and settled down. They stayed like that for a while before Optimus stood. "I believe we had better be getting back," he told her.

"And hope that the base is still standing with two Wreckers and Miko inside of it," added Aria.

That made Optimus chuckle quietly, with Aria joining him.

After a while, Aria said, "You know, I'm kinda surprised you didn't ask me about my parents. Expecially after what I said yesterday."

Optimus turned his helm slightly to look at her. "I know that you do not wish to talk about it," he said, "And so, I will not press you about it. I will say that you can talk about it when you feel that you are ready."

Aria looked shocked for a few seconds, then gave a small, pain-filled smile. "Thank you," she said, leaning against Optimus's helm.

She didn't see the gentle smile that he wore as well.

**()**

"I'm not sure whether I'm glad that I didn't stay," said Aria in shock after listening to the story, "Or that I should've stayed."

When Aria and Optimus had gotten back, the others had filled in on what had happened. Aparrently the Wheeljack that they had welcomed into their base was actually a shifter named Makeshift. They had captured the real Wheeljack and Makeshift had tried using Miko as leverage to unveil the base to Starscream. Thankfully, the real Wheeljack had shown up and defeated Makeshift, allowing Bulkhead to throw the shifter back on the _Nemesis_.

"Probably a good thing that you left," said Bulkhead, "No telling what Makeshift would've done with you."

Aria thought for a few moments, then shrugged and said, "Fair enough."

At Wheeljack's confused look, Bulkhead said, "I'll probably tell you later, Jackie."

The team was finally celebrating Wheeljack's safe return. Well, mostly celebrating. Jack, Raf and Bumblebee were dancing to Miko's guitar playing while a bemused Arcee watched from the sidelines. Ratchet was working on fixing Wheeljack's ship, which had been damaged during the attempt to capture Wheeljack. The old medic sighed and said, "It's like a recurring nightmare."

Bukhead turned to Wheeljack, who was standing next to him and Optimus, who had Aria on his shoulder. "Now that you're a part of Team Prime," said Bulkhead, "we need to pick out a vehicle mode for you! I have some ideas." He nudged his friend in the shoulder with his elbow.

"Uh, about that, Bulk'," said Wheeljack, looking slightly nervous. "Now that my ship's repaired, I'm itching to know what else I might find out there."

"Wait! You're leaving?" asked Miko as the rest of the group heard him and joined them, "Why?"

Wheeljack looked slightly nervous at answering that, so Bulkhead answered for him. "Because some 'bots never change." He laughed as Wheeljack grinned nervously.

"Wheeljack," said Optimus, "know that you always have a haven here."

"And a lot of friends waiting for you," added Aria.

Bulkhead grabbed his friend in a side-hug and patted his chest. "Jackie never stays," said the green Wrecker, "but he always comes back." Wheeljack grinned and held up his fist, and the two of them shared a fist-bump.

**()**

The next morning, everyone came out to say goodbye to Wheeljack. As Bulkhead watched the Groundbridge that brought them there disappate, Wheeljack said, "You know, there's room for two, Bulk'. Even with a backside like yours. Who knows what we might find out there! Some of the old crew?"

Bulkhead looked at his friend, then looked back at Miko, the girl looking up at him with worry in her eyes.

Bulkhead finally chuckled and said, "Sounds like fun, Jackie. But my ties are here now." He looked back at Miko and added, "With them. With her." Miko looked up at his last statement, grinning.

Wheeljack nodded and turned to her. "If anything happens to my favorite Wrecker," he warned her playfully, "I'm coming after you."

"And if you do come back," said Aria, "Maybe I can introduce you to a few people."

"And don't worry, Jackie," said Miko, "I'll take good care of him." She dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Now say cheese!"


	13. Convoy(A Hurting Past)

"Hey guys!" called out Miko, walking into the main room. Aria and Jack, who were sitting on either side of Raf playing a video game, looked up to see her toting a massive box. "What is it?" asked Aria.

"Found this in one of the closets," said Miko, setting it on the floor as the Autobots came close to the railing, "I was exploring a little bit since I was bored and I found a closet with a lot of boxes. Opened one of them and found this. Pictures! Old black and white ones, which are kinda interesting. I thought they had colors back then."

"Must've been from the last people that were here," commented Arcee as Aria and the boys joined her.

"And colors are actually kind of recent," said Raf, pulling out one of the pictures, looking at it. "Hey Miko! I found your grandpa."

Miko peered over his shoulder to see a japanese man with a few other people. She tugged his hair, a little annoyed, and said, "That is not my grandpa!"

As everyone burst out laughing, Jack pulled out another picture showing the whole group. "Pretty big group that was here," he commented.

As Aria pulled out another picture, she said, "Well, it is a pretty big place. There had to be a lot of people to..." She suddenly trailed off when she saw the picture.

"Aria?" asked Optimus, looking at her, "Are you alright?"

"F-fine," she finally said, a little shakey, "I just... I didn't know that my parents worked here."

"Your parents?" asked Ratchet, looking over from the computers.

Aria held up the picture. A slightly young man and woman were standing together, arms around each other, smiling at the camera. The lady's facial features looked slightly like Aria's, although Ratchet looked a little confused when he saw the couple's black hair. Miko dug through the box a little bit more and said, "Hey Aria! I think I found their proposal picture!"

Aria took the picture from her, seeing her dad kneeling on the ground in front of her mom. Her mother looked rather shocked, which was rather explainable with the tiny box that her dad held in between them. "Yeah," she said, nodding with a small smile. "That's my dad's proposal to her."

Optimus looked over at the picture as Bulkhead asked, "Wait. Their hair is black. Why is yours white?"

"Probably one of those human genetic things," said Ratchet. A sudden beep from the consul made him sigh. "Optimus. It's Agent Fowler."

As Ratchet answered the message, Optimus headed over to Ratchet, but not before casting a concerned look at Aria. Was he the only one that saw her go white or her eyes turn angry?

***PRIME!*** A very loud exclamation came from Fowler as Ratchet answered the call.

"Agent Fowler," said Optimus, "To what do we owe-?"

***What else?*** asked Fowler, ***Cons. I chased them off after some hard ordinance, but not before they blew meout of the sky!***

Miko, who was resting on the railing with the rest of the humans, snorted and said, "Again?"

"_I hope that guy's got jet insurance,"_ commented one of the Aerialbots in Aria's head. She was prety sure that it ws Jetfire. She had met him a few weeks previous to her encounter with the Autobots.

Agent Fowler either ignored Miko or didn't hear her, because he kept talking. ***They tried to smash and grab for the DINGUS,*** he explained.

"The watsit?" asked Arcee and several of the voices in Aria's head.

***Dynamic Nuclear Generation System,*** said Agent Fowler slowly, ***a.k.a. DINGUS.*** The view of his face transfered to a small room, where a massive metal box was strapped to the floor. ***Its a prototype energy source I'm transporting to the coast for testing.***

"That's absurd," scoffed Ratchet, "Why would Starscream bother with such primitive technology?"

"Ever heard of Chynobyll?" asked Aria, "Radiation testing turned the land desolate."

***He'd probably use it to make a big bad weapon of mass destruction,*** said Fowler as the view switched back to him. ***If this baby were to melt down,*** he explained, ***It would irradiate this state and the four next door!***

That made Rafael nervous. "Uh, did Agent Fowler say which state he was in?" he asked.

***I'm a sitting duck here, Prime,*** said Fowler, ***I need you to spin up your bridge and transport the DINGUS to it's destination before the Cons come back for it.***

"_Can't happen,"_ said Perceptor.

"I'm afraid that such a request is out of the notion," said Optimus. He quickly explained, "If an accident were to happen in the Groundbridge, the radiation of which you speak would provigate through the Groundbridge vortex and harm all fifty states and beyond."

Agent Fower was quiet for a while. ***Ya got any better ideas?*** he asked.

"Well," said Aria, pipping up, "If we can't fly it, we could just drive it there."

* * *

And that's what they were doing several hours later as Ratchet said to Optimus, "If all goes well, you should reach your destination by sundown."

While that was going on, Miko looked over at Arianna, who was sitting on the couch with her black sleevless hoodie in her hands. She appeared to be sewing a cloth facial mask to it. "What you doing that for?" asked the younger girl.

Aria looked up before continuing on with her work. "Call it... insurance," she said after a slight pause.

"Whatever for?" asked Ratchet, looking over at her.

"I... I don't know," she said, "I've just got this feeling. Sure, Starscream could use the DINGUS to make some kind of superweapon, but why? According to Skywarp and Thundercracker, he'd rather use cybertronian technology to get what he wants. He hates using 'primitive stuff' when they put it in his words."

"So, you think this is someone else's thing?" asked Jack.

"Could be," Aria replied, pulling back on the hoodie. She pulled her hair through the small hole in the hood as she finished, "And whatever, or whoever it is, they're giving me a bad feeling."

Suddenly, Bulkhead pipped up. ***Check your rearviews! I feel a little restricted without the use of my fists, boss.***

***Remain in vehicular mode,*** ordered the Prime.

"What is it?" asked Aria, joining everyone else in front of the computer.

***The guy who shot me down,*** said Fowler, ***And a whole team of Cons.***

"What?" said Ratchet, looking at the computer in confusion, "I'm not picking up anything! They must be utilizing some kind of cloaking technology."

"_If that were true,"_ said Nauticia, _"Team Prime wouldn't have seen them. You can't cloak your signature without cloaking yourself. Not unless you're really careful so that you stay visible."_

"_But doesn't make sense,"_ said Skywarp, _"Starscream likes to put on a show. These guys aren't doing anything flashy. So that could mean..."_

Aria realized it. "These guys aren't Decepticon," she said.

"They're not?" asked Ratchet.

"Then who are they?" asked Raf.

Optimus provided the answer a few seconds later after a startled, ***Well I'll be dipped!*** came from Agent Folwer.

***Our assailents are not Decepticon,* **he reported, ***They are human.***

"Human?" said everyone.

"Oh, please!" scoffed Miko, "Against our Bots? They're roadkill."

"I don't think these guys are ordinary humans," said Aria. "Agent Folwer? What do they look like?"

***All that I saw was grey and forest green clothes,*** said Fowler, ***And I couldn't see a face. Just a mask with green goggles.***

The description, however, triggered a memory...

_[Flashback]_

_She opened her eyes and stood, rushing over to the side of the roof to see several masked men. She didn't really notice them. The only thing that she really noticed was the scar-faced, tall man with a blond buzz-cut._

"_Silas." she snarled under her breath._

_[End Flashback]_

"Aria?" came a timid voice. Aria was startled out of her memory, and she looked down to see Raf staring worriedly up at her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Aria looked at him for a few seconds before saying, "No, Raf. I'm not."

Ratchet looked at her and realized what she meant. "You know them, don't you?"

Before Aria could answer, a new voice came in on Agent Fowler's fequency.** *I certainly do hope you treat the DINGUS better than you do your captives!***

That made Aria freeze. ***Special Agent William Fowler here!*** yelled Agent Folwer, ***Identify yourself!***

***I am Silas,*** said the voice, ***But of a greater concern to you; we are MECH.***

Everything blocked out after Aria heard that. Only one thought raced through her head- the name of the man that killed her family.

_Silas._

* * *

Miko happened to look over at Aria as Fowler and Silas finished with pleasentries and Ratchet told Optimus to move to Phase 2. Her eyes widdened when she saw her friend's face. "Uh... hey you guys?" Everyone turned to look at her as she pointed to Aria.

Everyone was rather surprised with the look on her face. Aria's bright blue eyes were chips of pure ice with white flames. Her usually pale skin was now an even paler shade, and her mouth was set in an angry snarl. White light surged around her hands with small ribbons of a dark blood red color. Her hair was floating a little eerily as well. "I think she's mad," said Miko.

"I have never seen her this mad before," commented Raf, backing up slightly.

"That isn't anger," said Ratchet, his optics widening, "That's rage."

* * *

***Optimus, this is Ratchet.***

"Go ahead, Ratchet," responded Optimus.

***It's Aria. I think she knows this MECH,*** said Ratchet.

Agent Fowler smacked his forehead with his hand. "And now I remember where I've heard Silas's name before!"

***How does Aria know him?*** asked Arcee, driving in front of Optimus.

Fowler gave a slightly depressed sigh and said, "The reason why Aria's in a foster home is because she has a step-uncle living on an island called Griffin Rock. You actually know him, Prime."

"Her step-uncle is Chief Burns?" said Optimus in slight shock.

"But if it weren't for that," said Agent Fowler, "she probably wouldn't be here. She'd actually be an orphan.

"Her parents were brutally murdered and her home was blown up when she was only three years old. All because of Silas."

Fowler could've sworn that the temperature in the cab dropped a few degrees, but it also felt slightly warm at the same time.

* * *

Aria came back to her senses when she heard, "Optimus is down!" from Miko. She shook her head and asked, "Okay, what did I miss?"

"Decepticons showed up," explained Jack, "Bots had to blow cover to fight them. MECH found out about Phase Two and Optimus got knocked out. And now MECH's going for the DINGUS. We need a new plan."

"Sort of like a... Phase Three?" asked Raf.

"Alright," murmured Jack to himself. Then he said, "If MECH's gonna get the DINGUS, then they need to get on that train."

"Ooh!" cheered Miko, "how about we get aboard there first! You know, run some human on human action?" She pumped her fists forward.

Both Aria and Ratchet shouted at the same time, "Absolutely not!"

Jack gave a small sigh and said, "Yeah, that'd be suicide."

"Uh, hello?" asked Miko, "The United States of Meltdown? Lives are at stake?"

"Yes- yours!" said Aria hotly, "You don't know what MECH is! I do! They are brutal and savage! If they have guns, which they usually do, they will kill you in an instant!"

"And not only that," said Ratchet, "but you not just want me to bridge you into a confined space, but one traveling at ninety miles per hour? I can't even count the number of ways that could go wrong! Mass displacement trauma! Twisted limbs! Metal burn!"

Everyone gave him a look.

"Well," he corrected himself, "maybe not the last one. Regardless," he continued, "It is near impossible to fix Groundbridge coordinates on something moving that fast!"

"Would it help if we had access to the train's coordinates?" asked Raf, pulling up the data on the computer.

"Well..." mused Ratchet, looking at the data.

"Did I mention that MECH would probably kill everyone on sight?" said Aria.

"You said if they had a gun," said Ratchet, walking over to the Groundbridge controls, "But I have a feeling that they would rather keep the DINGUS intact and not want to risk a stray bullet hitting it. So they probably will not have guns."

"Then I'll go by myself," said Aria, hopping off the catwalk.

"Not by yourself, you're not!" said Jack and Miko at the same time.

"No! Objections!" said Aria, "I'm not letting you guys get hurt in my fight! Ratchet, prep the bridge."

"Aria, they're right," said Ratchet, "Your fight against MECH has turned into our fight as well. At least let Jack and Miko go with you."

Aria was about to say something when Ironhide said, _"Strength in numbers, kid. You might not think you need them, but you do."_

Aria gave an angry sigh and snarled, "Fine! But I'm in charge, clear?"

"Yes ma'am," said Miko meekly.

* * *

A few minutes later, Aria, Jack and Miko landed in the train. Aria stood up and rubbed her back. "Well, I've had better landings," she said.

"Yup," said Jack. He pulled out his phone and said into it, "Raf, we're in."

***I read you, Jack!*** came Raf's voice, ***The cell phone patch works.***

"At least something is going right today," said Aria. She looked up as a helicopter sounded above them. "Sounds like they're landing on top of the train."

***In a few seconds, you'll reach a fork,*** reported Raf, ***Brace yourselves!***

"You've got the masks I gave you, right?" Aria asked as she pulled on her hood and pulled up her face cloth.

Jack and Miko nodded, pulling out the goggles that Aria had brought along. As soon as they were on, the train lurched to the side and Aria gave a pleased smile when she heard the helicopter sliding off. Suddenly, Raf gave a yelp. ***They cut me out of the system!*** he yelled.

***And what have I been saying all along about earth technology?*** asked Ratchet.

Everyone looked up as something heavy landed on the roof and something began to cut it away. "So what did that buy us?" asked Jack, "Ten seconds?"

"Raf is losing his touch," commented Miko.

Aria looked at the unconcious guard that was in the car with them and grabbed his gun. "Are you insane?" asked Jack.

"I can't use my powers," she said, "Besides, if what Ratchet said is true, they'll hesitate to come in here when they see me with this."

"Well, if that's the case," said Miko. She rushed to the wall behind her and grabbed the fire axe while Jack picked up the fire extinguisher that hung beside it.

Aria rolled her eyes and jumped as the piece of roof fell to the floor. The three of them looked up as a few members of MECH peered into the hole. Aria held up her gun, aiming it at them.

"You want a slice of this?" asked Miko, hefting her axe, "Well do ya?"

Jack looked at her and held up his fire extinguisher. "What she said!" he yelled at them.

The troopers looked at each other, then walked away. "Huh?" said Aria, watching as the helicopter took off. She pulled open the side door and looked outside as the helicopter flew away.

"Whoa!" said Miko, hanging onto her arm, watching them leave, "We're pretty fierce!"

"I don't think it was that," said Jack nervously.

An explosion suddenly sounded. When the three of them looked ahead, they saw a plume of smoke appear. "They blew the tracks!" said Aria, her eyes widening in horror.

Jack pulled off his goggles and pulled out his phone. "Ratchet!" he said, "MECH blew the tracks! You need to bridge us out of here! The soldiers too!"

***We lost access to the train data!*** said Ratchet, ***I can't bridge you out without your coordinates!***

"Well, I'm not waiting for an approval!" said Aria, "One thing I know for certain I am not getting killed by MECH like my parents!" She quickly cloaked and grabbed the side of the door, climbing up until she was on the roof. It was too risky to fly. As soon as she was up, she rushed along the top of the train, trying to get to the engine.

* * *

***Optimus,*** said Ratchet as a recovered Optimus raced along the edge of the track, ***Aria, Jack and Miko are on that train and MECH has just blown the tracks!***

Optimus's spark nearly froze when he heard this, but he quickly said, "I'm on my way!" As he sped up, he yelled, "Maximum overdrive!"

* * *

Aria soon reached the engine, entering the caboose and looking at the switches and levers in front of her. "Now c'mon!" she yelled in frustration, "Which one is the brake? Why don't they ever label these things!"

"_Long lever on the side!" _Nauticia told her. She quickly grabbed it and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the train start to slow down. But when she looked outside, she felt her heart plummet again. The gap in the tracks was coming closer. The train wasn't slowing down quickly enough!

"Well scrud," she said, then she heard a transformation sequence and something red and blue flashed by her. A small jerk nearly caused her to fall over, but she could hear someone grunting outside. It was Optimus!

Soon enough, the train came to a full stop. Aria breathed a sigh of relief and watched as the MECH helicopter carrying Silas flew off. Then she came out of the train, hearing Jack give a yelp as Miko punched his arm hard. Optimus had been talking to Ratchet, telling him that they were all right, but he paused when he saw her. "Are you hurt?" he asked, worry in his voice as his face mask slid back.

Aria pulled off her hood and looked down, not sure what to say. Finally, a black digit gently eased itself under her chin, lifting her head up until she could see Optimus's face. The worry and gentleness in his gaze made something shatter slightly in Aria, and she couldn't stop the tears as they started to come down her face.

Optimus knelt down and his hand lowered slightly as her arms wrapped around his digit, crying silently. The look of deep sadness on his face said that he knew that Aria had changed.

MECH had returned, and Aria had broken again.

* * *

**So, I think I might be leaving Author comments on some of these chapters, like in chapter eleven. So, as it can be evident, Aria doesn't just have the sense of humor that you've seen in her a little bit.**

**She is, as I put in the first chapter, a child who grew up to early. She's broken slightly. But a certain Autobot will be helping her along the road.**


	14. Your Reason Will Come

**So, after the appearance of MECH, there's a litlle bit of a lull. For the next two episodes of **_**Transformers Prime**_**, Aria isn't with the team. She just told Optimus to let her be alone for the next week or so. She's along the lines of emotional terror and anger. More anger than terror.**

**So, this chapter is after episode's ten and eleven in the main series and during episode twelve, which is Predatory. (Ten is Deus Ex Machina and eleven is Speed Metal) So, she doesn't meet Knockout or Breakdown for a while, but she doesn't meet Airachinid either.**

* * *

Optimus sat in his room, sitting at his desk with his helm resting on his servos. It had been several days since the last Decepticon incident, and almost two weeks since their encounter with MECH. When he thought about that, however, his gaze darkened. He didn't even realize that earth had it's own Decepticons.

Thinking of MECH also brought his young charge to mind. Arianna had been silent since the incident. When he had driven her home, she had asked if he and the rest of the team would leave her alone for a while. That had been two weeks ago. Whenever he had driven by, he could see Aria sitting by her bedroom window, which looked out over the street. He could still see the sad expression that had always been on her face. Whenever she had seen him, she managed to smile, although that smile was full of pain.

Optimus gave a sigh and stood. He should probably check on her again.

"_Optimus."_

Optimus froze before giving a relieved sigh. It was just Micronus. _"What is it?"_ he asked the Minicon Prime.

"_Aria asked us if we could contact you for her. She wants you to meet her in the gully where the two of you sparred."_

Optimus thought for a few seconds, then nodded. _"I'll be there. Is she... doing all right?"_

"_Not completely,"_ said Micronus, _"Hearing about MECH and seeing them not too far from her has stirred up old memories. Memories that would rather have stayed buried."_

Optimus gave another sigh and walked into the main room. Ratchet turned at the consul. "Optimus, what is it?" asked the old medic.

"The Primes just said that Arianna wishes to see me," he told him, "I might be gone for a while."

"I'll keep you alerted," said Ratchet, "Arcee still on her recon with Jack and the others went to go pick up the rest of the children."

Optimus nodded before starting down the tunnel, transforming into his alt. mode as he went. He hoped Aria would be at the gully when he got there.

* * *

Aria perched on a rock at the edge of the gully, looking blankly off into the morning sky. She didn't flinch as the sounds of a semi-truck came rolling behind her, or at the sound of a transformation sequence. "You came," she said as Optimus approached her.

"Of course I did," he told her. Optimus settled beside her and leaned on the rock beside her, looking into the morning sky alongside her, waiting for her to speak.

Finally, she said, "You remember when we first sparred together, and I asked you why you didn't ask me about my past?"

Optimus nodded. "I told you that you could tell us whenever you felt that the time was right."

"I want to tell you."

Optimus looked at her and asked, "Are you sure?"

"The only other people that I told about this live in Chicago. And in light of recent events, I should probably get this off of my chest." Aria took a deep breath and asked, "How much do you know?"

"Only that your parents were murdered by Silas when you were three," said Optimus, "Agent Fowler told us. He also said that you had an uncle that lived on an island."

"Griffin Rock," said Aria, nodding. "My Chicago friends, Reyna and Issac were really surprised that I remembered this because I was so young when it happened. Some things, expecially the shocking moments... they stay with you for the rest of your life."

Aria was silent for a while before starting. "It was pretty much a peaceful night. Nothing much going on. Me and mom had just finished baking cookies and we were sitting on the couch waiting for dad to get home.

"Suddenly, dad came through the front door. He was... scared. Frightened. Mom asked what was wrong. Dad said that someone found us. Mom was scared. Then, someone came in through the kitchen. Mom and dad hated him. They said he was called 'Silas'. He asked them something, something about joining them. They refused and dad attacked Silas.

"Mom ran to my room with me. She pulled back my bed. There was a trap door that my mom told me to go down. When I asked her if she was going to come with me, mom just pulled off her necklace and gave it to me. This necklace, in fact." She held up the silver-rimmed blue stone necklace around her neck.

"It's beautiful," said Optimus, admiring it.

"I don't know where my mom got it," said Aria, gently rubbing the stone. "She gave it to me before she sent me down the trap door. But she didn't come with me.

"For a long time, it was dark. I was scared. I wanted my parents to be with me. Then, there came a huge explosion. The flames were inches from my face. Somehow, by some miracle, I was unscathed.

"The police got there and a firefighter pulled me out of the wreckage. He tried to cover my face, but..." her voice broke when she said, "I saw my parent's bodies."

Optimus's spark broke when he saw the young adult trying to reign in her emotions, trying to control the tears that threatened to fall. Finally, she got a hold of herself. "I don't remember how long I was in that children's hospital," she said, rubbing a hand across her face, "The only things that I remembered was wishing that I could've died so that I could've been with them. And when I first came in, after I woke up the first time, my hair started turning white." She took a small portion in her right hand. "The doctors said it was from shock. It can happen sometimes. A big shock can turn your hair white, but they were pretty surprised with how quickly it did. They figured it was from my age.

"After what felt like for an eternity, they finally put me in the Richmond, Virgina Orphanage. It was pretty miserable for me, expecially when a few bullies came in. For seven years, Silas thought I was dead. Then, several months from my eleventh birthday, on the same day that I learned about you guys, Silas found that I was alive and invaded the orphanage. No one got hurt, and I barely escaped with my life."

"How did you escape?" asked Optimus.

"Cloaking was my first trick," said Aria, smiling bitterly, "I barely activated it in time."

Aria went silent again before finishing. "After the attack, I met Agent Fowler, who told me about my step-uncle and said that I could be moved to a foster home. They changed my name to Arianna Ariel Prime. It was Primus's idea," she quickly said at Optimus's expression.

His gaze softened and he gave a small smile. "What was your name before?" he asked.

"Katrina Leira," she said, "I realized a few years afterwards that 'Ariel' is 'Leira' spelled backwards."

"Clever."

Aria nodded before looking back into the distance. "There were so many times," she said, "that I wondered why it was me that survived. Why did I have to live? Couldn't it have been my parents? Why was it me?" She looked down, her expression confused.

"We all ask that question." Aria looked up as Optimus went on. "Why were we the ones that set off the events? Why are we the survivors? I asked those questions many times after Megatron started the war. He was jealous that I had been named the next Prime. He wanted to lead Cybertron to a new Golden Age. I kept wondering why I had been chosen. Was it because of the weight of my words? Something about me that only Alpha Trion and the rest of the High Council could see that I couldn't?

"I finally realized it when I was given the Matrix of Leadership by Primus. Megatron would have made Cybertron fall even quicker if I had not been chosen. Primus said that he chose me for my heart. He told me that if it wasn't for my heart, myself and the rest of the Autobots would have fallen a long time ago."

He turned to Aria. "There was a reason why you survived, Aria," he told her. "You just have not found it yet. Sometimes it is not apparent until we truly look inside ourselves. Then we see our answer."

Aria looked down again, thinking about what Optimus said as he continued. "We all face pain, Aria. But it's when we get through that pain that makes us who we are."

Aria sat there, thinking for a while. Then she nodded to herself and looked up at the Prime. "The guys were right," she said to him, "Talking to you did make me feel better."

"I'm glad that it did," he told her, "So, are you ready to come back?"

"Might as well," she said, "Can't keep on moping around my home, now can I?"

* * *

Everyone turned to see Optimus's alt. mode rolling into the main room. Their expressions turned to mixtures of relief and joy as Aria stepped out of Optimus's cab. "Hey," she said.

As Optimus transformed, Raf came hurrying down and hugged his friend. "Are you feeling okay?" asked Raf.

"Better than before," she assured him, rubbing his hair affectionately. He would usually duck down whenever that happened, but he tolerated it this time.

As Aria looked up, she noticed a few people missing. "Where's Jack and Arcee?" she asked.

"Recon," explained Ratchet, "Energon surge in the Oklahoma woodlands. They went to check it out last night, but they should have-"

***Ratchet, requesting Groundbridge.***

"Oh! There they are!" said the medic, relieved.

The Groundbridge swirled open, and through it came Arcee and a tired and scruffed Jack. The two of them froze when they saw Aria. "Aria!" said Jack, "When did you get back?"

"Couple of minutes ago," she said, shrugging. Noticing how he looked, she asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he sighed, walking up to her and Raf, who had been also joined by Miko. "Well, as fine as I'll be after you get chased the whole night by a Decepticon who wants your head as a trophy. Probably made her mad because I blew up her ship. Probably not a good thing."

"And here I thought Aria was the one with guts!" said Miko in surprise, only for the end of her hair to get pulled on by Miko. "Ow! Stop doing that!"

"Then stop saying stuff like that," said Aria. "Besides, I've got more sense than you do." She turned to Jack and asked, "What was the Con's name?"

"Airachnid," said Arcee, looking a little angry when she said the name.

_*Wha-? Arcee, are you sure you're okay?*_ Bumblebee said, suddenly worried. The rest of the team, including Aria, looked concerned as well.

"I'm alright... mostly," she said, rubbing her arm, "Just a few dents. Airachnid probably got off worse. Jack said that she was in her ship when it exploded. She somehow survived."

"Who's Airachnid?" Raf asked Aria in a whisper.

"Con who killed her first partner, Tailgate," the older girl whispered back, "I thought she went rogue."

"And now she's stuck here on earth," said Jack, shuddering.

"Well, Arcee isn't the only one with demons around here." Aria looked up at the femme, who looked slightly confused until she remembered. "How are you holding up?" asked Arcee, looking at her.

"Truthfully," said Aria, "I probably won't be exactly the same for a while. But I'm better than I was before. And I've been worse." She looked up at the femme, a pained smile crossing her face.

Arcee's own smile was the same. She could relate.

* * *

**Slightly short chapter, but now Optimus knows about Aria's past. He tells the team later on, but I won't write it down.**


	15. Sick Mind

Arianna was sitting at the computer, typing away at the program that was on the screen. Perceptor and Nauticia were talking to her, helping her with the equations and technical stuff that she couldn't understand.

Raf was watching her work. "Need any help?" he asked her.

"No," said Aria, "Perceptor and Nauticia are already helping me. But I'll let you know if I need any help."

"What are you even working on?" asked Arcee, turning to look at the young adult from her conversation with Jack.

"Secret," said Aria, "But it should be done in a few days if all goes well."

"And you won't tell us?" asked Ratchet, looking slightly annoyed at her. He was obviously very curious.

"Sorry Ratchet," said Aria, a slight teasing note in her voice, "Not until it's done."

Optimus heard that slight note, and looked up from his conversation with Bumblebee, a slight hint of relief in his optics. She hadn't exactly been very much in a joyful mood since she had come back to the team a week previously, almost not smiling. Everyone, minus Aria, had noticed his worry about her.

A sudden beeping from the computer caused Ratchet to check his consul. He gave a gasp of astonishment. "Optimus, you are not going to believe this!" he exclaimed, "I've just pin-pointed the location of the Decepticon warship!"

"Seriously?" said Aria, turning in her chair as everyone crowded around Ratchet.

"How did you penetrate their cloaking technology?" asked Optimus, looking at Ratchet.

"I didn't," said Ratchet, "I was experimenting with variable frequency wavelengths when I stumbled upon it."

"They probably have a tech problem," said Aria, "They must have had to take down the shield for maintenance or something. They just did it at the wrong time and you picked it up."

"With Megatron deceased," mused Arcee, slamming her fist into her other servo, "and with the element of surprise..." she trailed off suggestively.

"We could cause some serious damage," finished Bulkhead.

Another beeping caused everyone to look up again as another signal popped up onto the screen. "Also on the same frequency," said Ratchet, even more surprised, "an Autobot emergency beacon."

Optimus looked at the two signals and said, "The Decepticons can wait. There may be Autobots in distress. Ratchet, bring your medical kit."

"Right away, Optimus," said Ratchet, heading over to the med-bay.

"Why aren't you taking the Con warship first?" asked Miko.

"Strength in numbers?" said Aria suggestively.

"You'd be wanting reinforcements, won't you?" asked Jack.

"Like Aria said," said Arcee as Optimus and Ratchet headed into the Groundbridge, "Strength in numbers."

"_Aria, perhaps you could let me see the Autobot signal again,"_ said Perceptor, _"there's something about it that I cannot place."_

"_Alright," _said Aria. She headed over to the computer and closed the program she had been working on, pulling up the Autobot signal. _"What is it?"_ asked Aria.

Perceptor was quiet for a short while, then said, _"This signal is old. It appears to be from the middle of the war, I believe."_

"_And what does that mean?"_ asked Aria, slightly confused now.

"_Means these Bots are already long dead,"_ said Nauticia, _"But why is the beacon active now?"_

Suddenly, Aria got a bad feeling in her chest. "Aria? Is something wrong?" asked Raf, noticing the sudden look of dread on her face.

"Perceptor said that this signal is really old," said Aria, "And all of the sudden, I've got a bad feeling. I think-"

***Arcee! We need a Groundbridge! Have the med-bay ready!***

* * *

"Cybonic Plague," said Ratchet grimly, looking up from Optimus's scans. The Autobot leader was laying on the medical berth, barely conscious, his previously bright blue optics dim and flickering. Already there was a coat of rust covering his right optic.

When Ratchet and Optimus had come back through the Groundbridge, Optimus had been staggering, with Ratchet barely supporting him. Aria could instantly tell that something had happened on the old Autobot ship.

The young adult looked at Ratchet and asked, "Is it contagious?"

"Only if you come into contact with the infected energon," said Ratchet as the rest of the team looked at each other. "A bit of it dripped onto Optimus."

"What was a plague doing in an Autobot spaceship?" asked Miko, worry in her voice.

"Its passengers were infected," explained Arcee, "The virus wiped out millions on Cybertron during the Great War."

"Cybonic Plague was engineered in the Decepticon's Biological War Program," added Ratchet, "By Megatron himself."

"You... have a cure, don't you?" asked Raf.

A small moan caused Ratchet to turn to look at Optimus, who managed to say, "_No_..._ cure._"

"Optimus, please," Ratchet told his friend, "save you strength."

"Would Megatron create a disease without having a cure?" asked Jack, "I mean, what if he caught it by accident?"

"If there is a cure," said Aria angrily, "Megatron was probably the only one who knew it! And as far as we know, he's dead and pushing up lugnuts."

"But," mused Ratchet, looking over at the consul and tapping the scanner with a digit, "We might be able to access the Decepticon database. For the moment, we still have a fix on their warship's location."

Arcee turned to Bumblebee. "Bumblebee, come with!"

As the two of them headed for the Groundbridge, Ratchet turned from a moaning Optimus and said, "Arcee. Quickly."

The femme nodded and she and Bumblebee headed through, their weapons drawn. When they were gone, Aria looked over at Ratchet and said, "Ratchet, can I... stay with him?"

Ratchet turned to her and appeared to contemplate for a few seconds, then nodded. He held up a servo to where she was. She hopped over the railing and landed on his servo. He then lowered her down close to Optimus, where she floated off and landed on the un-infected side of his head. As the Prime tried to turn to her, her hand rubbed the area above his optic, causing him to give a tiny moan of relief.

She closed her eyes and contacted him telepathically. _**It's alright Optimus. I'm here.**_

_**Aria.**_ She was slightly worried when she heard him trying to talk with her. Even his thoughts sounded weak. _**Is Ratchet... alright?**_

_**He's fine,**_ she told him.

_**Can you... ask him?**_

Aria nodded and looked up at Ratchet, who was checking Optimus's scans. "Ratchet?" she asked, causing the medic to turn to her. "Optimus wants to know if you're okay. He can't see very well."

Ratchet nodded. He looked over at Optimus and said, "I wasn't infected, old friend. Don't worry."

Optimus must've heard him, because he gave a deep sigh of relief. Aria continued rubbing his helm, wishing she could do more.

Arcee finally reported in, saying that she couldn't find anything. Ratchet started arguing with her about her search methods and she started to bark back at him when she said to Bumblebee, ***What. Is it?***

That piqued Ratchet's attention. "What is it?" he asked, "What's going on?"

There was silence on the line for a bit, only penetrated by a shocked gasp and the sound of a door sliding open. Then, Arcee's voice said, ***It's Megatron. He's...**_**alive**_**.***

Aria's head shot up and shocked gasps filled the room. "That's not possible," Ratchet said to her.

***Well, I'm staring right at him,*** Arcee told him, ***Good news is, Megatron isn't exactly staring right back.***

"_Mega_..._ tron_," murmured Optimus, shock filling his weak voice.

Aria and Ratchet looked at him as Arcee said, ***He's in stasis. On life support. Time to finish this once and for all.***

"ARCEE! DON'T!" yelled Aria. She left Optimus's side, flying straight for the consul and landing on Ratchet's shoulder.

***One good reason, Aria,*** snarled Arcee, ***fast.***

"Don't you remember what I was saying earlier?" she asked the Autobot femme, "How if there was a cure, Megatron is probably the only one who knows it?"

***Yes...*** Arcee said hesitantly.

"This may sound crazy," said Aria, "but does Megatron have brainwave activity?"

After a brief moment of silence, Arcee reported, ***Spiking hard. His sick mind is still at work.***

"I think I know what Arianna is getting at," said Ratchet grimly, "It's like she said; if there is a cure, Megatron is possibly the only one who knows it. You must enter his brain and find it."

"You know, Ratchet," said Aria, turning to look at the medic, "That was actually what I was about to say."

Arcee practically exploded at Ratchet's statement. ***Enter Megatron's **_**brain?**_** Ratchet, Aria, are you two out of you fragging minds?!***

"Well, do you have any better idea's Arcee?" asked Aria, "Because I am just as uncomfortable about this as you are."

***Maybe haul him through the Groundbridge and buy us some time to figure us out?***

"Time is one of the things that Optimus does not have! One of you must try this!" Ratchet exclaimed angrily, "I WILL NOT ALLOW OPTIMUS TO PASS, KNOWING THAT MEGATRON WILL OUTLIVE HIM!"

The kids and Aria scooted back slightly nervous.

***Ratchet,*** said Aria gently, ***I would lay my life down for Optimus, anytime, anywhere. But a mind body split-***

Bumblebee's voice came on then, *****_**If **__**you**_**'**_**re **__**too **__**scared**_**, **_**then **__**I'll **__**do **__**it**_**!***

***You will?***

"Are you sure, Bumblebee?" asked Raf. He sounded worried.

Bulkhead turned to look at Bumblebee's friend. "Bee's the best scout there is," he assured him as Jack and Miko gathered around Raf.

*****_**How **__**do **__**we **__**do **__**it**_**?* **asked Bumblebee.

"The lab should have the materials you need for a Cortical Psychic Patch," said Aria, "And Perceptor's studied the technique, as well as there being a few friendly Con scientists."

***Alright then,*** said Arcee, ***let's do this. For Optimus.***

* * *

A few minutes later, Bumblebee entered Megatron's mind. Ratchet set up a screen so that they could see what Bumblebee was seeing. "Whoa," said Jack, looking at the dark and gloomy landscape that Bumblebee was in, "Where's that?"

_***Looks like Kaon,***_ commented Bumblebee.

"Bee said it looks like Kaon," translated Raf, "the Decepticon capital back on Cybertron."

"Well, that's not very shocking," said Aria, rolling her eyes.

Bulkhead turned from Optimus's side. "Ratch'," he said, "Optimus's vitals..."

"I know," said Ratchet. He turned to look at the screen and said, "Quickly, Bumblebee. I know you're in unknown territory, but you must figure out where information must be filed in Megatron's mind."

"_Or, failing that," _said Thundercracker in Aria's mind, _"finding King Buckethead himself."_

"_Don't you dare jinx it!"_ exclaimed Chromia and Nauticia.

"Kinda too late," said Aria, watching as Bumblebee soon saw Megatron fighting images of Optimus.

"_Thundercracker..."_

"Ratchet," she whispered, turning to the medic, who turned to look at her, "I'm going to stay next to Optimus. As soon as you see the cure, get Bumblebee out of there."

"Already planning on it," Ratchet whispered back.

Aria nodded, flying over to Optimus's side. His helm turned slightly and he gave a small moan as she rubbed his helm. "It's okay," she murmured, "I'm here."

Another small moan came from Optimus, and his optics closed as his helm leaned closer to her. Aria gently continued to rub his helm, keeping half an ear to Bumblebee's conversation with Megatron.

Thankfully, the Decepticon leader couldn't hurt him, but Bumblebee was having a hard time trying to derive a cure from him. And it was only got harder when Arcee, who was guarding Bumblebee's comatose body, reported that Starscream, Soundwave, and a new mech named Knockout entered he room with the first and third mech trying to convince Soundwave to 'pull the plug' on Megatron.

Finally, Bumblebee said, _***Well, I know what you want most.***_

_***And what might that be, scout?***_ asked Megatron.

_***You'd want to kill Optimus with your own bare servos!***_

_***Don't you see?***_said Megatron, laughing, _***I kill Optimus with my own bare hands every single time!***_

_***Yeah. In your head. Wouldn't you want to come back and kill him actually in the real world? You always prefer doing everything yourself. I know that more than anyone.***_

Raf heard that, perking up slightly.

Aria noticed that. _**Raf. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to ask Bumblebee about that. I'll tell you about it some other time. **_Raf heard her and nodded. He translated what Bumblebee said to Megatron, leaving out the last part.

"Smart," said Jack in amazement.

"Twisted," commented Miko.

Bumblebee's statement, however, seemed to strike something in Megatron. He projected the cure above his servo, which Ratchet saw. He quickly took a screen shot and said to Arcee, "Arcee! We have the formula! Disconnect Bumblebee now!" He turned to Bulkhead and said, "Bulkhead, you're on Groundbridge control! Aria, stay with Optimus! I need to make the cure."

Aria nodded as Ratchet darted off to his lab, pulling up the taken formula as he went. As Optimus gave another moan, Aria rubbed his helm, saying, "It's okay, Optimus. We've got the formula now. You'll be okay soon."

As Arcee and Bumblebee came in through the Groundbridge, the femme slightly behind the yellow scout, Jack asked, "Are you two okay?"

"Shot at Megatron," said Arcee with a smirk. "They might plug him back in, but it felt good to do that."

"Alright, I have it!" Ratchet rushed out of the lab, holding a container full of bright blue liquid, a brighter shade than Energon.

"That was quick," said Aria.

"I prepped everything beforehand," he told her, putting the container into an injector, "All the chemicals I needed were thankfully at hand. Better step back."

Aria nodded and stepped back to the edge of the berth. Ratchet took a deep intake and placed the injector on Optimus's arm. With a small click, the antidote emptied out of the container and into Optimus's arm.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, Optimus gave a groan of pain, grasping the edges of the medical berth, his body jerking. "Bulkhead, help me hold him down!" yelled Ratchet, setting down the injector and grabbing Optimus's arms. "Aria, get off for a bit."

The young adult quickly hopped off and Bulkhead came forward, grabbing Optimus' jerking legs and helping Ratchet to pin him down. "Come on, boss-bot," said Bulkhead, "You can do this."

"Optimus, hold still," Ratchet urged, having a slightly hard time trying to hold him down. "Let the antidote take its course."

A few minutes seemed to be several hours as Ratchet and Bulkhead struggled to keep Optimus on the medical berth. Finally, Optimus gave a shuddering gasp and laid limp on the berth. "Is he-?" Arcee asked worriedly as Ratchet stood up and scanned Optimus.

The old medic gave a sigh of relief. "The virus has degraded," he told everyone, "He'll be weak for a while, but he will be alright."

Everyone gave massive sighs of relief and Aria vaulted back up to Optimus' side, curling up next to his helm. His optics flickered open slightly, but they closed again. Aria heard Optimus' thoughts speaking to her. Although they were very weak, she could hear them clearly.

_**I'm... alright.**_

* * *

A few hours later, Ratchet helped Optimus stand up. "That's it," he urged as Optimus stumbled a bit, catching himself on Ratchet's shoulders, "Steady." As soon as Optimus had gained his footing, her looked up at the applauding and cheering Autobots and humans.

Optimus, although still appearing very weak, managed a smile. "Please," he told them, "Save the heroes welcome for my physician. And," he added, looking towards Bumblebee, "My scout."

Bumblebee looked rather awkward and rubbed the back of his helm as he said, _*Ah, it was nothing.*_

"Still," said Aria, grinning at him, "Thank you."

No one was sure what had happened to Megatron... everyone, except for Bumblebee, who froze when he heard the warlord laughing in his mind.


	16. More Than a Partner

It was a few days after the Cybonic Plague incident. Optimus was doing better, although he was still pretty weak from the experience. He still couldn't walk on his own, so Ratchet or one of the others had to help him move around. Ratchet had decided to let him rest in his room and the old medic often checked on him to make sure that he was alright.

Arianna was still able to get to base even after Optimus had gotten the plague. She would often arrive with one of the others, or sometimes she flew there herself, practicing her animal shifting abilities. Besides Ratchet, she was the one most worried about Optimus, but Ratchet had a feeling it was more than just because she was his partner...

* * *

Aria, currently transformed into a hawk, landed on the top of the base. As soon as her talons touched the ground, she transformed back into her human self before heading down the elevator. When she reached the bottom, she found Ratchet working at the consul. "Nice flight?" he asked her as she entered the room.

"Yup," she replied, stretching slightly, "There was a very nice breeze today. And some thermals. Thermals always feel nice."

"I'll take your word for it," said Ratchet, turning back to the computer. "Oh, and you have a few feathers in your hair."

"Oh, thanks!" said Aria, quickly pulling out the golden-colored feathers.

"You're welcome," said Ratchet. He silently waited for Aria's question:

"How's Optimus?"

"Doing better," said the old medic as Aria leaned against the railing, "But he's still too weak to move on his own. I've caught him twice trying to get up. If it weren't for me, he probably would've hurt himself by now."

"I've caught him trying as well," said Aria, rolling her eyes, "He's really stubborn."

Ratchet sighed and shook his helm, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "So," he asked her, "besides working on your project, why else are you here?"

"Why are you asking?" she asked, suddenly slightly nervous.

"You've visited him every day," pointed out Ratchet, turning to look at her, "Is there something that you're not telling me? He is my friend after all."

"Yeah, well-" Aria tried to think of something to say, "he's my... guardian. I can- augh!" She placed her head in her hands. Ratchet had her backed into a corner.

"He's not just a guardian to you, is he?" asked Ratchet, cocking an optic-ridge at her.

"Um-um... I'm gonna go visit Optimus! See you later!" She quickly leaped off of the balcony, landed on the ground, and raced down the hallway.

"Hmmmmm," mused Ratchet, looking after her. Then he smiled and turned back to his work.

* * *

Optimus leaned against the wall behind his berth, reading a report from Agent Fowler on a data-pad. He shook his helm slightly at a few of the governments nervous reactions. There was also a few new people at Unit E that were slightly nervous about Cybertronians, bu they were new after all.

A sudden tapping at the door caused him to look up. "Come in," he said.

The door slid open to show Aria standing in the doorway. "Mind if I come in?" she asked him.

"Not at all," he told her. He set that data-pad down next to him and pushed himself up slightly as the young adult came in, leaping up onto his berth next to him. "When did you get here?" he asked her.

"Couple of minutes ago," she said, "I was just trying to get away from Ratchet's interrogations. He wants to know why I keep on visiting you." She gave a slightly nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of her head.

"And why do you keep on visiting me?" asked Optimus, a slight teasing tone in his voice.

"I-I... I worry about you, okay?" she exclaimed, flustered.

"I know," he told her. A gentle servo wrapped around her as he said, "I worry about you too. How did you get here?"

"Hawk form. Flew," she quickly explained. Optimus could still see the slight bit of red on her normally pale cheeks. He hid a smile as she asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I'm alright for now," he told her, a digit rubbing the small of her back, causing her to give a sigh of relief. That spot must have been sore.

"Wrestling in gym today," she explained at his curious glance, "Vince knows a lot about cars, but he does not know how to put up a good fight. But he does squirm like a trapped weasel."

Optimus was slightly confused, but then he remembered. "Oh. The bully at school. I'm quite surprised that he doesn't know how to fight considering that he fights with others."

"Other people smaller than him," corrected Aria, rolling her eyes. "Whenever he fights someone taller or stronger than him, he's a chicken. A very brave chicken that only beats its wings at you."

Optimus chuckled at her description, with Aria joining in. "I'm sorry that we can't spar together," Optimus said when they had calmed down.

"Maybe not," said Aria, shrugging, "But maybe you could give me some tips on my form? Prima and Nexus were teaching me some moves, but I couldn't really perfect them. Nexus said that my stance was a little wrong."

"All right," said Optimus. He lowered her to the ground and she took up her stance, ready for the teaching to begin.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Ratchet entered the room and stopped slightly at the sight. It took all of his willpower to not give a small "aww" at the sight.

Optimus appeared to be asleep, leaning against the wall with his legs tucked up on the berth. Held against his chest was a sleeping Aria, obviously tired from the Prime's coaching. A tiny smile was on her face, and her side braid, which had come free of her blue clip, was dangling over her left eye.

Ratchet didn't want to disturb them, but then her remembered what time it was. He softly walked forward and placed a gentle hand on Optimus's shoulder plate. Optimus gave a small flinch before opening his optics, looking up and nodding to Ratchet. He looked down at Aria and gave a gentle smile. "I don't want to disturb her," he said softly.

"Neither do I," said Ratchet, "but it's time for her to go home. Should I take a picture?"

Optimus shook his head. His other servo raised up and gently tapped the top of Aria's head. She gave a small moan and opened her eyes, looking slightly awkward at the position she was in. When she looked up, the blush was seen on her cheeks when she also saw Ratchet. "Um... hi?" she said nervously.

Ratchet chuckled and said, "It's almost seven. You should probably be heading home."

"Oh," said Aria. Optimus gently let her go and set her down next to the berth. She hopped out of his servo and headed out of his room. She turned to look back from the doorway and said, "Um, see you tomorrow?" Then she darted into the hallway.

"She's gotten nervous these past few days," said Ratchet, "Probably because she's been worried about you." At the silence, he turned to see Optimus nod rather absentmindedly.

Ratchet raised an optic-ridge, then asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," said Optimus, still looking at the doorway.

Ratchet saw the look on his friend's faceplates. "How exactly do you see her?"

Optimus turned at that. "Wh-what?" he asked rather confused.

"She's not just a partner for you anymore, is she?" asked Ratchet.

Optimus went silent for a few seconds before saying, "Ratchet, please don't ask."

The optic-ridge raised again. Finally, Ratchet shrugged and said, "Alright. Fine. I won't push. But don't you think that I don't know that something is going on." And with that, he left.

Optimus leaned back against the wall, thinking about what had happened. After Aria had perfected her techniques, she had gotten tired, so Optimus had allowed her to rest. Before Aria had fallen asleep, however, he thought he had heard her whisper something.

But he was fairly certain that he knew what it was. And he promised that he would try to be that figure for her.

"_I'll keep you safe my child,"_ he thought, _"I know you are able to take care of yourself, but I promise. I will always be there for you."_

The Matrix of Leadership didn't give any voices, but a gentle warmth came from it, soothing his sore limbs. A gentle smile crossed his faceplates, then he laid fully on the berth and soon fell into recharge.

He could finish Agent Fowler's report later.

* * *

**So, this chapter is rather short. I hope you guys enjoyed it, though!**


	17. Out of His Head

Aria hopped off of Arcee's vehicle form before Jack climbed off. As the femme transformed, the girl looked around and asked, "Hey, where's Optimus?"

A set of footsteps and something tapping the top of her borrowed helmet caused her to take it off and turn to see Optimus with a slight smile on his face. "Were you looking for me?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. She hugged his outstretched hand as she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he said, "Ratchet said that I've completely recovered as well. But he does want me to take it easy for a little bit longer."

"But you'll be able to fight and drive again?"

"I will, do not worry."

Aria let go of his servo, looking up and smiling. "I'm glad that you're feeling better."

"And I'm glad to see that you're doing better as well." He lifted her up on his shoulder and asked, "How have you been doing?"

"I'm... not sure," she replied, shrugging. "I can let my guard down in here, but outside..?" She looked out the exit tunnel and gave a shudder. "Just try not to sneak up on me. At least before 'they' came along, I didn't attack the people that try to put their arm around my shoulders when I wasn't looking."

"That happened to Vince today," said Jack, nodding as Arcee tried to stifle a snigger.

At Optimus's inquiring glance, she said, "When we were picking her up, he tried to come behind her and slip an arm around her shoulder. She grabbed it and twisted hard."

"That is actually the first time that I heard him squeal like a little girl," said Jack, chuckling.

"Oh, that was Vince?" asked Miko from the balcony, "He sounded like one of my cats from Japan when I stepped on his tail. Bulkhead actually jumped at that." She laughed hard at that.

"Wait, Miko!" said Jack, "You were in the parking lot at the back of the school! You actually heard that?"

"I did."

"Not only does Vince squeal like a little girl," remarked Aria, "But he also apparently shrieks like a banshee."

"Undead spirit that screams really loudly," explained Miko at the Autobot's confused looks. The Autobots nodded, sort of getting the explanation.

"I am pretty sure that it's something different," whispered Aria in Optimus's audial receptor, "but that is a pretty close description right now." She then looked up and asked, "Where's Bulkhead?"

"Playing a game of basketball with Bee," said Raf, entering the room, "Where they learned the rules, I don't know."

"_Are you sure that wasn't you?"_ asked Sideswipe.

"_Defintely sure," _said Aria,_ "It could've been Miko."_

"My fault," said Miko.

"_Told ya."_

Aria looked over towards the training room, a slight mixture of confusion and worry in her gaze. Optimus noticed the look. "Aria?" When she looked at him, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's just..." she trailed off, looking towards the training room again. "Does anyone think that Bee's been acting weird these past few days?"

"Weird how?" asked Arcee.

"Now that you've mentioned it," said Raf, "He kinda has been a litle distant. And he's been freezing a bit too."

Aria and Optimus cast concerned glances at each other. Something was wrong with Bumblebee.

"**Until the cause is discovered, Aria,"** Optimus told her telepathically, **"you probably should not use your powers."**

"**Understood Optimus,"** said Aria.

* * *

It was a few days later that the cause seemed to be discovered.

"Bumblebee's complaining of intermitent visions," explained Ratchet as Bumblebee powered down in the medical chamber, Raf and Aria at his feet. "Waking nightmares, if you will."

"Like, daymares?" asked Aria.

"Something like that," said Ratchet.

"But you said Bee was fine when you checked him over!" exclaimed Raf.

"Physically," said Ratchet. "But the experience he endured seemed to be having a temporary affect on his psychee. This induced power-down should force Bumblebee's mind to rest and recover."

Just then, there came a beeping on the consle. "Agent Fowler," said Aria, heading over to the computer station.

She guessed correctly as the group, plus Optimus, moved over to the computers andAgent Fowler's face appeared on the screen. ***Prime. You spot any Decepticons wearing hula skirts lately?***

"No," quipped Aria, "but that would be a sight to behold on Starscream."

"_I still haven't seen him in a dress!"_ complained Sideswipe in her head.

"_Betcha a cube I can draw him like that!"_ said Sunstreaker.

"_You're on, bro!"_

Aria rolled her eyes and listened as Agent Fowler continued. ***I was hoping that you would have a lead on the Cons who busted into the Kawaian Naval Observatory. Place looked like it was hit by an army of wrecking balls.***

"Why would Cons break into an observatory?" asked Arcee.

***Does the Heuck Nigoghossian telescope ring any bells?***

Raf stepped forward at that. "The space telescope," he said.

***As of last night, it's been missing it's primary lens.***

"It's difficult to guess Starscream's intent without knowing where the lens has been taken," mused Optimus.

***Good thing the lens has a tracking device,*** said Agent Fowler. His face disappeared and was replaced with a map of the arctic, where a red box was beeping.

"The arctic?" groaned Arcee. "Great. Another chance to freeze our sparkplugs off."

Bulkhead looked at the screen and gave a low whistle. "That's an ND-7 class," he said. "Biggest unmineable energon deposit there is."

"Unmineable," said Optimus, "until Starscream melts his way down to it."

"With the help of the lens," added Arcee.

"So Starscream wants to use the lens to make a giant magnifying glass," said Aria. "When light goes through it and hits a concentrated area, it can cause a lot of heat. Set things on fire." At everyone's look, she said, "What? Back in Texas, the other foster kids tested it on paper and leaves. Pretty cool."

***Melting a glaciar that size could cause sea levels to rise at the largest coastal cities,*** said Agent Fowler.

Optimus' gaze narrowed. "Autobots," he said, "Prepare for departure."

* * *

A few hours after everyone had left, Ratchet turned to Aria and said, "Shouldn't you be getting home?"

"Raf's still here," said Aria.

Ratchet glanced over at Bumblebee's comatose form, where he could see Raf at Bumblebee's feet, telling him a story. He walked over and said, "Rafael. I'm afraid Bumblebee can't hear you in power-down mode. It's getting late, why don't I bridge you and Aria home to your families?"

"Because I told Bee I'd stay," said Raf. "He's family too."

"Don't be ridiculous," scoffed Ratchet. "You're not even the same species!"

"That's being related! It's not the same thing," said Raf. "I'll show you." He pulled out his phone and showed the picture of his family that he had shown Aria when they had first met. "This is my family."

Ratchet kneeled down and looked at the picture. He straightened and mumbled, "Mm-hm. Yes, very nice."

"Very large!" corrected Raf. "Sometimes I can shout and no one hears me!"

"Yes, yes," muttured Ratchet, looking to the side.

"But Bumblebee always listens."

Ratchet looked down at Raf as he continued. "And I can understand him. Not sure why, but I do."

Ratchet turned to look at Aria as she joined the group. "There's a saying in one of my favorite books, Ratchet," said Aria. "'You can't choose your family, but you can choose your friends.' There's more than one way to call someone your family. Not just through species or blood, but by friendship and love for each other."

Ratchet looked at the two before his gaze softened. "And that's why you see him as family," he said gently.

"Don't you see your team as family too?" asked Aria.

Ratchet looked at her for a few seconds before nodding.

She was right.

* * *

"Rafael," said Ratchet. Raf looked up at him, with Aria on his shoulder. "We're going to the supply closet to find parts to repair this." He held up a tool that Bumblebee had broken earlier. "You know what that means."

"Don't touch anything," said Raf, smiling.

Ratchet nodded and the two of them headed down the hall. The medic noticed the look on Aria's face and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Ratchet, I feel like something's off," she said.

"Off how?"

"Like... we're not the only ones in the base."

"Well," said Ratchet. "Rafael and Bumblebee are here."

"Besides them," said Aria. "Like... we've got an uninvited guest."

Ratchet suddenly looked wary. "What exactly do you mean?" he asked.

Before Aria could answer, there came a familiar sound down the hallway. "Is that the Groundbridge?" she said, startled. She gave a yelp as Ratchet took off down the corridor back to the main room. When they got there, they barely saw Bumblebee heading into the Groundbridge before it closed. Raf was standing in front of it, a worried look on his face.

"What did you do?" asked Ratchet.

"N-nothing!" exclaimed Raf. "Bumblebee just got up and-!"

"He was in power-down!" said Ratchet. "Where does he think he's off to?"

"Uh, Ratchet?" The medic looked down as Raf said, "Where's Aria?"

A pair of arms clambered back up Ratchet's shoulder. "One word, Ratchet," said Aria tiredly. "Seatbelts."

"Ha ha," said Ratchet. "I'm going to go after him." He quickly turned towards the Groundbridge controls as Aria hopped onto the catwalk. She brought up a screen and she paled.

"Ratchet. You're not going to believe where he went."

"No need to tell me," said Ratchet in a shocked voice. "These are the coordinates for the site of our previous battle with Megatron's undead. How did he know the coordinates? The only people who know are you, me, Optimus, and..."

"Megatron." Realization struck Aria. "Raf. Get up here, now and get behind me! Ratchet, prep the coordinates for the _Nemesis_ once Bee's back through."

Ratchet sputtered. "W-why?" he managed to get out.

"Megatron's controlling Bumblebee. He went to that valley to get the shard of Dark Energon that he left there. And that's what he needs to bring himself back to life. And I have a feeling that if we don't do it, we'll be getting clobbered and squished real quick."

"Maybe we should call Optimus," said Raf as he climbed up on the catwalk.

"Optimus is busy preventing a polar ice-cap from melting," said Ratchet. "We'll need to handle this on our own." He pulled down the lever and turned as the Groundbridge opened.

The possessed Bumblebee stepped through, a purple shard of crystal in his hand. He looked up as Ratchet pressed the button on the controls and turned to Bumblebee. "We know that you're in there, Megatron," he said. "Just so you know, we'll be following."

Bumblebee stared at Ratchet for a few seconds, then darted forward and slammed his fist into Ratchet's head, causing the medic to fall to the ground. "Bee! What are you doing?" yelled Raf.

"That isn't Bee right now! Raf, stay behind me!" Aria pulled Raf behind her as Bumblebee stomped up to them. She was struggling to not let her powers show with the Dark Energon in the room, but it was very difficult.

Bumblebee raised a hand, then stopped. Several hoarse beeps came from his throat. He grabbed at his helm, the shard falling to the ground. "Bee." He looked up at Aria's voice. "We know that you don't want to hurt us. Take the Groundbridge and go. We'll be right behind you."

The possessed scout looked at her for a few seconds before his gaze returned to its narrowed stare. He picked up the shard of Dark Energon and opened the Groundbridge to the coordinates that Ratchet had put that, he ran through.

Ratchet gave a moan as he came around. "Ratchet!" called out Raf. "Are you okay?"

Ratchet rubbed his helm. "I'm fine," he said, standing up and walking over to them. "More importantly is Bumblebee. I fear youwere right when you said that Megatron was possessing him. Now we need to find out what Bumblebee wants to do with that shard."

"I think Megatron needs it to come back online," said Aria. "The Cortical Psychic Patch acted as a two-way conduit. When Bumblebee came back through, Megatron joined the ride. And now he's using Bumblebee to bring himself back online."

"And now Bumblebee... Megatron," Ratchet corrected himself, "has bridged himself to nearly the same coordinates Optimus used." He pulled on the lever and activated the Groundbridge. "Stay here you two."

"No!" said Raf. "Bumblebee needs me!"

"He needs more than his friends right now, Ratchet," said Aria, looking at the medic. "He needs his family."

Ratchet paused before turning back to them. "Of course he does." He held still as Aria picked up Raf underneath his arms and flew himonto one of Ratchet's shoulders before taking her place on the other.

"Quick question, though," said Raf. "How are we gonna get back?"

Aria held up her phone. "Small Groundbridge app," she said. "I'm connected to the bridge. Now let's go get our brother back," she finished as they raced through the Groundbridge.

As they stepped through the Groundbridge, Ratchet gasped their surroundings. "The Decepticon warship."

"Well, at Megatron knows where Starscream parks his car," quipped Aria as they headed down the hallway. When they turned the corner, they saw a few dead Vehicons who were practically ripped apart.

"Did Bumblebee do this?" asked Raf in shock.

"I fear Megatron's mind is dominant," said Ratchet. "And clearly he came here for one purpose."

"To bring himself back online with that shard of Dark Energon," finished Aria.

"Bumblebee won't let him," said Raf, clenching his fist. "Like he didn't let Megatron hurt us back at base."

"He's still hanging on." said Aria.

"I hope you're right you two," said Ratchet. He set the two of them down on the floor, then slowly moved forward, beckoning them to follow. When they turned the corner into the lab, they were shocked to see Bumblebee walking around Megatron's body, pressing buttons and pulling out a cable that was used during a Patch. He connected it to his helm and then atattched it to Megatron's. Ratchet's gaze narrowed and he rushed into the room.

"**Be careful not to hurt Bumblebee,"** Aria's voice came in his mind.

"Bumblebee!" yelled Ratchet. Bumblebee turned and dodged the punch that he gave. Then he gave a massive slam into Ratchet's side, knocking him into the wall. As soon as Ratchet hit the ground, Bumblebee pulled out the shard of Dark Energon. As he started to move towards Megatron's body, he felt something grab the cable. He turned.

Aria had grabbed the cable, wrapping it around the table slightly. "Bee, you can do this!" she yelled. "Take control back!"

"Bee! Remember who you are!" called out Raf, rushing up to his friend. "Remember me! I know you always listen to me no matter what!"

Bumblebee turned to his friend, then froze again. His optics flickered from narrow to wide, showing that he was trying to take control back. _*Raf! Get back!*_ he yelled.

"That's right, Bumblebee!" said Raf. "It's me!"

"_C'mon kid! You can do this!"_ yelled Ironhide.

"_You got this, Bee!"_ yelled the Twins together.

"_Aria,"_ came Primus' voice. _"Let Bumblebee go. You do not have much of a choice in the matter of letting Megatron come back online."_

Aria thought for a few seconds, then nodded. "Bee, I don't think we have much of a choice in letting Megatron resurrect himself! Let him! It won't be your fault! Just trust me!"

Bumblebee, still struggling, managed to nod. He could hear Megatron snarling in rage in his mind. _*Guys! He's taking control back!*_ he screamed.

"Ratchet! Grab Raf! And Megatron! Get out of Bee's head and leave him alone!" Her powers acted of her own accord once more. Only Aria could see the bright light going up the cable and surrounding the Dark Energon shard. As the light turned purple, it flew into Megatron's chest. Purple light filled the air. Aria let go of the cable as Ratchet grabbed her, Raf already in his other hand.

Megatron's optics snapped open. Bumblebee and Ratchet stepped nervously back as Megatron got off the table. Several Vehicons entered the room, but froze at the sight of Megatron standing. "Decepticons! I have returned!" he growled. He looked at the group and said, "Get rid of these pests!"

"No thank you?" mumbled Aria. "Talk about ingratitude." The group lept to the side as the Vehicons started firing on them.

Bumblebee shot at a few of them as Ratchet carried Aria and Raf to safety._*Let's make like a bald mans hairline and recede!*_ yelped Bumblebee as he followed the three of them.

"I do not see what a man's hairline has to do with anything!" called out Ratchet as they raced away.

"He's saying let's get outta here!" yelled Aria. Ratchet handed Raf to Bumblebee, who held on to the boy tightly.

"I knew you could hear me," Raf said to his friend.

_*And I'm glad I listened,*_ said Bumblebee.

* * *

The battle below on the glaciar was going well. Arcee and Bulkhead were currently preoccupied with fighting Breakdown. While that had been happening, Optimus Prime had climbed up one side of the glaciar. He now looked at the _Nemesis_, which was using the lens to heat up the ice to get at the Energon. He raced forward, transforming and driving up the ice-cliff, launching off the edge. As he flew through the air, he transformed, grabbing onto the edge of the wings of the ship, where he started to climb.

As he approached the lens, he heard Knockout say, "Don't the Bots seem... under-staffed?" The two Cons turned as an engine noise reached their audials, seeing Optimus in his vehicle mode racing towards them.

Starscream snarled and said, "What good is a second-in-command who fails to watch the rear?!" He shoved Knockout out of the way and kicked the Vehicon controlling the laser out. He turned the laser around, pointing it at Optimus.

The Prime staggered under the pressure of the laser, but gave a roar and continued to push through. Finally, he transformed and gave a roar of anger as he jumped in the air. Starscream let off one of his namesakes as Optimus's sword seared through the heat ray. A massive explosion filled the air. Even the Autobots and Breakdown on the ground were sent flying.

As Arcee and Bulkhead stood, the femme noticed who was laying nearby. "Optimus!" she called out.

Optimus laid on the ground, moaning from his overheated systems. The sound of a jet engine overhead caused his optics to crack open. He saw Starscream barreling down towards him in vehicle mode. "Megatron's greatest mistake was ever allowing you to live, Prime!" he screamed. Before he could crash into the injured Optimus, however, a familiar alien jet shot through, catching the Seeker and carrying him back to the _Nemesis_.

Optimus recognized the figure too well. "Megatron," he growled.

"He's back," murmured Arcee.

The two Autobots quickly helped Optimus up before the three of them turned to look at the_ Nemesis_. "Should we get ready for an attack?" asked Bulkhead.

Optimus waited for a few second, then shook his head. "They're turning away."

"Looks like Starscream is in trouble with Megatron," commented Arcee.

As if to prove her point, a loud, energon-curdling scream filled the air. Finally, the _Nemesis_, it's back-end pouring out smoke, turned and left. After a few moments, Optimus raised a servo to his comlink. "Ratchet," he said, "We need a bridge."

"You are not the only ones."

The three Autobots turned as Ratchet and Bumblebee came around the corner. Aria and Raf were on Bumblebee's shoulders, waving to the three Autobots.

* * *

Back at base, with Jack and Miko, Ratchet nodded to Bumblebee in the medical chamber. Bumblebee lifted his arms, allowing the arm-rests to slide out. "Everything's back to normal," said Ratchet with a sigh of relief.

_*Except for the fact that Megatron is back,*_ said Bumblebee, looking at the medic.

"Well," said Ratchet, "normal for Bumblebee," he corrected.

Raf entered the medical chamber as Bumblebee knelt down. _*Raf, I'm sorry if I hurt you,*_ he said to his friend.

"It's okay," said Raf, assuring his friend.

_*You must've been terrified.*_

"Of course I was!"

_*You were pretty brave to come after me with Aria and Ratchet.*_

"I know."

_*Well, thank's Raf. For being my friend.*_ Bumblebee extended a blick digit, allowing Raf to grab it.

Miko came forward. "What'd he say?" she asked.

Raf grinned. "He said thanks." He looked up as Bumblebee's optics smiled at him.

Aria, perched on Optimus' shoulder, leaned close to him and said, "Pairing the two of them together was probably one of the best things that you've ever done."

Optimus looked sideways at her, a smile on his own faceplates. "I know," he whispered back.

* * *

**I am so sorry that this took so long! 'Out of his Head' is not one of my favorite episodes of Transformers Prime. I'm sorry for making you lot wait. But I hope you're pleased with this!**


	18. Shadowzone

"You know Miko," said Aria, gasping for breath, "this isn't how I wanted to spend my afternoon!"

"Well how was I supposed to know we'd end up in an entirely new dimension?!" asked Miko, panting from running.

"This is why we stay at base!" said Jack.

"Guys! My glasses!" said Raf. The four humans peeked around the rock they had been hiding to see Raf's glasses on the floor, with Terrorcon Skyquake stomping towards them.

"Way too dangerous," said Jack.

"I can't see without them!" said Raf.

"What are you?" asked Miko retorically. "Ninety?"

"Not helping," said Jack.

"We need to go back for them," said Aria. As she started to step out from behind the rock, she gave a gasp of pain as light flickered across her body.

"I'll go," said Miko. She darted out from behind the rock as everyone gave an exclamation. After several tense seconds, Miko returned, holding Raf's glasses. "Here you go, Gramps!" said Miko. "Let's book!"

"I can teleport us to the other end of the canyon," said Aria.

"In your current condition," said Jack, "lets not risk it!"

Aria shrugged. With that, they raced away down the canyon, Skyquake's undead form marching after them slowly.

* * *

The day had started out normal until Ratchet had detected Dark Energon on the move. Everyone had quickly left, but Miko had tried to go after them, with Jack, Aria, and Raf trying to stop her. Unfortunately, they were forced to go through the Groundbridge after her. Even more unfortunately, they were stuck in between two Groundbridges and teleported to a new dimension which Raf and Perceptor nicknamed the 'Shadowzone'.

They were unable to touch the bots, but so was the now undead form of Skyquake, which soon noticed them and had started to chase them. So as Aria put it, 'not how she wanted to spend her afternoon'.

* * *

Meanwhile, at base, the team was trying to find the missing humans. "Ratchet," said Optimus. "If the children were misdirected to an unintended location, is there any way to get a fix on their coordinates?"

"If they were lost, Miko would've called me by now," said Bulkhead.

_*Then how about we try to call them!*_ said Bumblebee, an idea striking him.

"Call them? Yes!" said Bulkhead. He pressed a digit to his com-link. But Miko's ringtone was heard in the base. As everyone looked around, Bulkhead soon found Miko's phone near the Groundbridge. "That's why Miko hasn't phoned."

As he picked it up, Optimus said, "I'll try Aria. Arcee, you try Jack."

* * *

The four kids hid behind a group of boulders, trying to catch their breath. "You know the best thing about zombies," said Aria cheerfully, "they're slow."

"Yeah, I guess we've got that to thank for," said Miko.

Just then, two ringtones filled the air. The four of them jolted before shouting, "PHONE!"

Aria and Jack quickly pulled out their phones and answered them. "Optimus? Optimus, can you hear me?"

"Arcee?" Jack called into his phone.

However, after a few seconds, they both gave sighs of irritation. "Nothing," said Jack sourly.

"Gee, imagine that!" said Miko sarcastically. "The fourth dimension has lousy cell phone reception!"

"No wait," said Aria. "The phone rang! We are getting a signal!"

Raf seemed to think for a few seconds, then said, "Maybe the Autobots can't see or hear us because... we're moving at hyperspeed or something."

"Do you think maybe they could read us?" asked Jack.

"Read," thought Aria. "Text! Miko's phone is still at base! We can send a text message to it!"

"And the Bot's can get it!" finished Jack. He quickly started typing on his phone.

As they were finishing up, Raf noticed that Aria's body was starting to flicker again. "Incoming!" he said.

Everyone turned as Skyquake came around the corner. "Can you type and run?" asked Raf.

"Let's move!" said Aria. The group took off, no one noticing that Aria paused a bit with her phone before heading after them.

* * *

"We're dealing with fluxuating energy profiles inside a wide distortion field," said Ratchet to the rest of the team. "But, it may be possible to back-trace their coordinates."

No one noticed that Miko's phone was buzzing on the catwalk where Bulkhead had put it.

* * *

As the group continued running, Miko said, "Deja vu!"

"What?" asked Jack.

"This doesn't look familiar to you?" she asked him.

"Not really," said Jack.

"It is to me," said Aria. "Miko's right. We're going around in a huge circle. That's all this canyon is!"

"Yeah!" said Miko. They all yelped as they ran into something.

"Well I do remember this," said Aria, rubbing her head. They had bumped into Starscream's severed arm, with a missile still atattched. "It fell off when the Bots blasted him. Must've gotten sucked in here with us."

"Suh-weet," breathed Miko.

They paused as Skyquake's groan reached their ears. They turned, seeing him stalking up the canyon. _"Cons are still persistent!"_ commented Ironhide.

"_You can say that again,"_ said Skywarp.

"Boys, not now," Aria muttered to herself.

Jack looked at where Skyquake was coming, then back at Starscream's missile arm. A look crossed his face. "Well if it's solid," he said, "we can use it."

"How do you recommend that?" asked Aria, looking at Jack.

"We turn it around and fire it at Skyquake."

"Easier said than done," said Miko.

Aria rolled her eyes and raised her hand. A few trendils of energy wrapped around the arm and it moved around, pointing down the direction they came. "With me, anything is possible," said Aria. "Get ready, Jack."

Jack perched behind the clawed hand and asked, "Uh, how do we make it fire?"

"_Starscream twitches his pointer finger,"_ Thundercracker told Aria.

"Pointer finger," she said to the others.

Everyone crouched down behind the arm as Skyquake turned the corner. "We only have one shot," said Jack. "We need to make it count."

As Skyquake got closer to them, Aria held up a hand before shouting, "FIRE!"

Jack grabbed the pointer finger and pulled hard. The missile streaked off the arm, heading straight for Skyquake and hitting him dead on. As the smoke cleared, the group saw Skyquake's right arm fall off of him.

"How do you like us now!" cheered Miko.

Her expression faded as the hand twitched. It jumped up and turned over, starting to crawl towards the four humans.

"Come on! Come on!" screamed Jack. They quickly turned as the hand came rushing after them.

"How can a zombie arm move faster than the actual zombie?" asked Miko as they ran.

"_Well as a matter of fact-"_

"Perceptor! Not now!"

* * *

Bulkhead finally noticed that Miko's phone was trying to get their attention. "Miko's phone! It wasn't blinking before!" He quickly pressed the top of it, allowing it to open. "It's a message. 'In alternate dimension with zombie. Help!'."

"That... doesn't sound possible," said Arcee.

_*Considering Aria, anything is possible,*_ said Bumblebee.

"Ratchet," said Optimus. "can we triangulate the geographical position of the cell phone's signal?"

"In a parallel dimensional plane?!" exclaimed Ratchet. He grinned and said, "Let's find out!"

After a few minutes, Ratchet said, "Now, calculating with relative time delays and atmospheric distortions, the signal is coming from the exact location as the original Groundbridge coordinates!"

"But we already looked for them there!" exclaimed Bulkhead.

"Perhaps," said Ratchet. "But not in the correct dimensional phase as their message stated. But, if I can recreate the feedback loop which triggered the event, I might be able to generate a rescue portal allowing passage from their dimension-"

"Back to base?" interrupted Bulkhead.

"No!" said Ratchet, turning to him. "We're talking about inter-dimensional travel here, Bulkhead! Attempting to redirect the vortex trajectory would be far too risky!"

"Everyone knows that," Arcee pointed out to Bulkhead.

"If the coordinates aren't precisely the same," continued Ratchet, "who knows where the humans could wind up!"

"Do your best, old friend," said Optimus.

"I will try," said Ratchet.

* * *

After a bit more running, the group found themselves in front of Starscream's arm again. "Oh come on!" complained Miko. "This place is like one big merry-go-round!"

"Without music, and the ride is a Terrorcon," added Aria.

"_Skyquake?_" came a new voice. The group ducked down behind the arm as a new figure came from around the corner. It was Starscream. "_Your master summons you!_"

"How'd that freak get into our dimension?" asked Miko.

"He didn't," realized Jack, causing everyone to look at him. "He can't see us!"

Miko turned at a familiar scuttling sound. "Forget Starscream!" she said. "We gotta run! Some more." Skyquake's hand was coming towards them.

As the group started forward, however, in front of them appeared a Groundbridge, this one tinted purple slightly.

"A Groundbridge portal?" asked Raf.

"That's our way out!" said Aria. "The Bots found us!"

"They saw our text!" cheered Miko.

Raf soon saw their dilema though. "If we run through, we run smack into Starscream! If we don't..." Everyone turned to see the hand getting closer.

"We're zombie chow," finished Jack.

"Time to play chicken then," said Aria.

"What?" asked Miko.

"We wait for the right moment," said Aria, crouching down. "If we time it right, Starscream will be occupied by Skyquake's hand to come after us."

"How will you know?" asked Jack.

Aria looked at him. "Trust me," she said. She looked forward. Miko was jumping on the spot and whimpering as the hand scuttled closer. Finally, Aria said, "NOW!"

The four of them jumped through, dodging between Starscream's legs. "You know, Screamy," tanuted Aria, "you seriously can't be going out in those heels!"

The whole of the Allspark burst out laughing at that statement.

Just as Starscream was about to chase after them, Skyquake's hand came through, grabbing onto the Seeker's face. He fell to the ground screaming, "Unhand me!"

Just as they were about to go forward more, another Groundbridge swirled open, and out stepped the Autobots.

"Hi!" Aria said to Optimus. "So can we get outta here before that hand decides to 'unhand' Starscream?"

* * *

Once they were back at base, Miko took the time to step forward. "Look," she said, "if you're gonna blame anybody, blame me."

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" asked Jack, casting her a surprised glance. "A couple dozen times?"

Miko cast him a grumpy glance.

"Miko," Optimus said to her, "what you have endured today has been less than enough. We are just glad you are all safe." He had a relieved smile on his faceplates.

Miko managed a nervous smile back as Bulkhead knelt beside her, handing her her phone. "Guess it was a good thing you dropped this," he said, handing it back to her on his large digit. "Too bad you didn't get any pictures, though."

"Nah, that's okay," said Miko. "I think after today, I pretty much have 'Zombie Close-ups' seared into my brain."

"Oh, so then you don't want these pictures?" asked Aria, fiddling with her phone a bit. She looked up with a sly smile on her face as Miko turned to her.

"WHAT!?"


	19. Holoforms (After Crisscross)

**So, I didn't do Operation: Breakdown because the only humans that appeared in that episode was Miko and Agent Fowler. Besides, I had to move on to Aira's big project reveal! So we're skipping ahead to after Crisscross!**

* * *

Aria was paying only half an ear to the conversation that was happening on the ground. She was more focused on her almost completed project. Plus, she wasn't that eager to meet June Darby quite yet.

As she listened, she couldn't help but name off a few colorful cybertronian curses in her head (Which was probably making Ironhide, Chromia, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe and several other tougher cybertronians blush- if cybertronians could blush), which were directed at the terrorist organization that had ruined her life. From what she could hear, Airachnid had decided to try to strike a deal with MECH that ended with the former Decepticon escaping with a vehicle mode, MECH also vanishing, and Jack's mom, June Darby, learning about what her son was doing after school with his 'motorcycle'.

"Oh, that's Aria."

Arianna jolted up and whirled around in her chair. "Uh, somebody mention me?"

"Yeah," said Jack on the ground, "My mom saw you." At June's expression to her son, he said, "Oh, come on, mom! Did you seriously think that I was the only human that knew about these guys besides the military?"

"Well..." said June, cocking her head to the side as Raf and Miko entered the room. Seeing them, she answered, "I guess I did."

"Well, he's not," Aria told her. "Nice to finally meet you Nurse Darby."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Aria," said June, politely nodding her head. She then asked, looking at Raf and Miko, "And who are they?"

While Jack was introducing them, the computer that Aria had been working on pinged to signal that something was done. She turned back around and checked the program that she had been working on, giving a small hum of delight. _"So, Perceptor? Are we good?"_

The cybertronian checked all the math and declared, _"We are good!"_

"We're done!"

The sudden cry caused Bumblebee and Miko to jump.

"Done with what?" asked Ratchet, turning to look at her.

"Haven't you been wondering what I've been doing for the past month or so?" she asked.

"She's been working on something?" June asked her son.

"And hasn't said anything about it," answered Jack.

"So you're finally unveiling it?" asked Arcee in slight amusement.

"Yup."

"So, what exactly is it?" asked Bulkhead.

"Something to help you guys blend in humankind a little better. Perceptor helped me put it together."

"So what exactly is it?" repeated Ratchet in slight amusement. ("Who's Perceptor?" June asked Jack.)

"Do you know what a holoform is?" asked Aria.

"It's a hard-light hologram," responded Optimus, "Some Autobots and Decepticons used them during the Great War to confuse the opposing sides."

Aria held up her hard-drive. "And that's what me and Perceptor made."

"You made a holoform program?" said Ratchet incrediously, staring at her with wide optics.

"It's a small one," she told him. "You won't be able to make anything large scale, like a building or completely changing your form. It's more something like Arcee's motorcycle avatar, except it's actually solid and can move."

"You actually did that?" asked Arcee.

"Yeah. And all that's left is for you guys to download it."

"That... could actually come in handy," commented Bulkhead, "We could get into places that we couldn't get into before."

"Yeah! You could see my house Bulk'!" cheered Miko.

"And I can finally teach you how to drive my toy car, Bee!" said Raf. Bumblebee gave a happy beep.

"And how exactly does it work?" asked Ratchet skeptically.

"It connects directly to your sensory net, which means that you can mostly feel what the holoform feels," explained the white-haired girl. "You have to be careful with it when you're in a fight. If it takes too much damage, then it disappates and you're back in your cybertronian body. You will feel the damage that the holoform took, but you won't have the injuries that the holoform sustained. You'll just feel the pain that they took. And when you're driving, the hologram will appear in your driver's seat, acting like a human, but your mind will still be in your vehicle mode."

"Sounds slightly dangerous," commented the medic.

_*But worth the risk!*_ said Bumblebee, _*Besides, it's not like we'll be getting into any major fights with humans, unless it's with the 'M guys'. And I think we'll probably be staying in our 'Bot forms for that.*_

"Bumblebee does have a point," said Optimus. "Perhaps this will do us a bit of good."

"Well," sighed Ratchet. He mused for a few seconds, then turned to Aria and asked, "Do you even know how to upload a program into a cybertronian?"

"I have an innumerable amount of tech-heads and scientists in my head, Ratchet," said Aria, rolling her eyes, "We can do it."

* * *

A few hours later, the program had finally been uploaded. As Aria checked it and double checked it, she finally said, "Alright, we're good. All that's needed is to activate the program."

"What about for how we look?" asked Arcee.

"Well... Perceptor said that he helped modify the program so that it would show how you see yourselves. But I would recommend shifting down into your vehicle mode so that you don't fall over. Plus, you take up less space that way."

The Autobots nodded, shifting down into their vehicle modes with the humans watching in fascination. After a few moments, Arcee's holographic rider appeared, although it appeared slightly more solid and wore different clothes. Then, the driver doors of every vehicle opened as Arcee's holoform stepped off her motorcycle form, stretching slightly as four more 'humans' stepped forward.

Arcee's complete riding jumpsuit was now replaced with a dark blue leather jacket with her Autobot insignia on her shoulder, a gray shirt, and blue-black tight jeans with knee pads. Her boots were black and silver with the top parts of the boots rimmed in pink, and her black riding gloves had pink cuffs. She pulled off her black helmet, which vanished from her hands. Her face was slightly tan with slightly pink lips, a small nose and brilliant blue eyes, with the pupil ringed surprisingly with a little bit of pink. She brushed her pink bangs from her forehead and into the rest of her black hair. "Whoa," said June, slightly shocked. "Did you take inspiration from me by chance?"

Arcee looked at her, then at the mirror that Miko had provided. After a few moments, she said, "Maybe slightly?"

"You know, I actually like it," said June.

Bumblebee looked at himself in the mirror next. He straightened his yellow and black hoodie with it's Autobot symbol on his shoulder, unzipping it slightly to reveal a white t-shirt underneath it. He also wore black pants with yellow pockets and yellow and black tennis shoes. He straightened the yellow scarf that covered his mouth and ran a hand through his blonde and black hair, which ran a little long over his bright blue eyes. He turned to Raf and made a guesture that said, _"What do you think?"_

"You look great!" said Raf, "But you remind me of someone."

"You look like Terry Mcginnus from _Batman Beyond_," said Aria.

"That's it!" said Raf, "I always did like Terry."

Bumblebee nodded, remembering seeing the TV show that they mentioned. He looked back at the mirror and nodded, seeing the resemblence.

Bulkhead was actually rather muscular, the sleeves of his gray, long-sleeved shirt stretched tightly across his arms. Over the shirt he wore a hooded green vest with the Autobot insignia on his chest, which was zipped closed. He also wore gray-black jeans with the edges stuffed into green and dark gray combat boots. He tugged on the edges of his black gloves and ran a hand over his green-streaked black hair. He looked at his slightly straight jawline and blue eyes, then nodded. "I actually look good," he commented, slightly surprised, "I think I look like Chris Evans."

"A little bit," said Miko, coming forward. She poked a finger into his stomach before saying, "But I expected you with a little bit of a belly."

"Oh, I'll show you a little bit of a belly, Miko!" declared Bulkhead, grinning. He grabbed her in a headlock and started to give her a noogie, with the younger girl protesting loudly, a wide smile on her face.

Ratchet looked at his new appearance with a little bit of scruinty in his dark blue eyes. He had short red hair with some white on his sideburns. He wore a red-orange and white jacket with a white circle on the shoulders, which had the medical symbols in them. His Autobot insignia was located on the right side of his chest. He wore clean white pants with red-orange edging which covered the tops of his red-orange and silver boots. He lightly stroked his light beard and said, "Not bad."

"You look a bit like Nicholas Cage," said Jack, chuckling slightly.

"Who- oh. I remember. That actor for that treasure hunter movie?"

"Yup," said Aria. She then turned to Optimus and froze slightly, her eyes widening.

Out of all the rest of the team, Optimus looked the most ordinary out of everyone. He straightened his red and black jacket over his dark gray t-shirt and looked down at his blue jeans and black, steel-tipped combat boots. He checked his shoulders which had Autobot symbol on each shoulder. He finally stepped forward to look at his facial features. He had a light beard across his chin, which was colored, like his hair, a dark black with a slight blue sheen to it. He had crystal blue eyes that had a slight white color around the pupil. He noticed Aria staring and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"N-no. It's just... You... look like my dad. Before he died."

Optimus thought for a few seconds, then remembered when he had seen the photo of Aria's father. His eyes widened and he said, "Aria. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, no!" she quickly said, raising a hand. "It's... it's alright. It's actually... kinda fitting."

Optimus's gaze relaxed. "Oh. Thank you... for letting me have the honor."

She smiled shyly and said, "You're welcome."

They didn't notice Ratchet raising an eyebrow at that and smiling slightly. He was slowly figuring it out.

* * *

When Agent Folwer came in, the Autobots showed their new holoforms to him. He approved of the concept. "I have been getting something about... 'Ghost Cars' from a few conspiracy sites."

"I think I know what to do in my free time," Raf muttured to Miko as Bumblebee sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"And it might help with a few other things," said Agent Fowler, "But I know that you might not want to get yourself more involved in human affairs more than you already are."

"Indeed," said Optimus.

Aria barely heard Jack whisper to his mother, "_MECH_." Her hand glowed a slight red when she thought of the terrorist organization.

"Will that be everything, Agent Fowler?" asked Optimus, noticing Aria.

Fowler noticed her as well. "Yes, that's all."

He quickly left as Aria said, "If I ever run into MECH, I swear-"

"Thankfully that will not be happening anytime soon," said Ratchet quickly, "And I'm not sure that would be a wise idea for you."

"I'm not the defenseless little girl I was a long time ago," said Aria, a little sharply, "I can take care of myself." Her shoulders were set rather straight as she headed off the balcony and out of the room.

As soon as she was gone, June said, "She doesn't like MECH, does she?"

"Not at all," said Ratchet, "Just mentioning them sets her on edge."

Optimus looked after her for a few seconds, then nodded. He knew what he needed to do.

* * *

Aria sat on top of the mesa, which was empty after Agent Fowler had left. She was trembling slightly, although she didn't notice. She was stuck thinking about the night that Silas had destroyed her life as Katrina.

"Aria?"

The girl whirled around. Optimus stepped back slightly, holding up his servos in a non-threatening guesture. Aria relaxed, nodding to him before turning back around and staring at the horizon.

The Prime relaxed, stepping forward again. Before going further, he stopped and transformed into his vehicle mode. His driver door opened and his new holoform stepped out. He joined Aria, sitting beside her and putting an arm around her shoulders. She flinched before leaning into his embrace. His arm gently tightened around her.

"I'm scared," she finally said. "What will I do when I do see Silas again? When he's in front of me and he knows who I am?"

"I don't know, Aria," said Optimus. "But one thing I do know. No matter how alone you think you are, you are not. You will never be alone."

Aria looked up at him, then nodded, a tiny smile spreading across her face. She leaned further into Optimus's embrace as he wrapped his other arm around her, holding her as she silently cried into his shoulder.

* * *

Optimus closed the door to his room, thinking about what had happened. He smiled gently.

They had hugged.

_I will always be with you, Aria. My little one._

* * *

**This chapter was pretty short too, but it wasn't much. Just explaining about the holoforms that the Bots get. I'll try and include them every once in a while.**


	20. Griffin Rock part 1

**Takes place during episode 15. We all wondered what Optimus and Bumblebee were doing during this episode, and everyone assumed that they were helping out at Griffin Rock, which they were! But after realizing that one of their friends knows a few of the Rescue Bots friends, they decide to bring her along.**

* * *

"Well... it's up to her mostly, Prime," said Agent Fowler, "The up-tops said that if she ever wanted to, she could go."

_*Well, after we said that we knew them,*_ explained Bumblebee, _*She wanted to come with us whenever we went. So, yeah, she wants to come.*_

"He's saying that I do want to go," translated Aria, who was resting on the rail next to Agent Fowler, "Besides, I haven't met them yet."

Fowler looked a little unsure, but finally, he nodded and said, "As long as you keep her safe, Prime." He directed this at Optimus, who nodded. "When will you plan on getting going?"

"Soon," said Optimus, "Chief Burns said that the Rescue Bots ran into some trouble and they needed help."

"So we're going right now?" said Aria excitedly.

"We are," replied Optimus.

"You do realize that she might need to use her powers, Prime?" said Agent Fowler.

"Already have that problem solved," said Aria. She reached into the satchel that she had with her, pulling out a pair of metal gauntlets and leg braces. "It's an island of high-tech technology, right?" she asked, "As far as anyone can tell, these are from the island's inventions."

"Surprisingly, that may actually work," said Fowler, very surprised, "You think of everything, don't you?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"_Actually, they were my idea!"_ said Perceptor.

"But Perceptor takes most of the credit for thinking of them."

"Tech-heads in your head have to come in handy."

"Oh yeah. They do," said Aria, "It's just the combat training that Ironhide, Prima and Onyx put me through that raise my eyebrows."

Optimus rolled his optics and shook his helm. So he wasn't the only one that was forced to go through that.

* * *

_[Griffin Rock]_

Chief Charile Burns paced worriedly in front of the time machine. The Rescue Bots had been gone for almost a half-hour, along with Coby and Frankie, Doc Greene's daughter. The rest of the family was explaining to Doc about the Rescue Bots being aliens and their story. They couldn't hide the secret from them any longer.

"Hey dad?" Chief Burns turned around to see Dani, Blade's partner, looking at him, "When is Optimus supposed to get here?"

"It should be soon," he said. "He also said that he might be bringing a little bit of company as well."

"Like Bumblebee?" asked Kade, Heatwave's partner.

"Yes," said Chief, "And someone else. He said he'd explain when this whole mess was sorted out, though."

Before anyone could ask any further, a swirling green vortex appeared in the entrance to the room. Optimus Prime and Bumblebee walked through, with a smaller figure on Optimus's shoulder. When the vortex faded, everyone was shocked to see that it was another human, with white and blue hair, bright blue eyes and wearing a hooded black vest over a magenta long-sleeved shirt, blue jeans with knee pads, and black boots. Over these she wore leg braces and arm gauntlets, with their power lines glowing a slight blue color.

"When did Optimus's team get spotted?" asked Grahm, Boulder's partner, talking in a low whisper to Dani.

"No idea," said the helicopter pilot.

"Optimus," said Chief, walking forward to greet the three newcomers, "Glad you made it."

Bumblebee beeped and waved to Dani.

"You were not kidding," commented Doc, looking at the two Autobots in shock.

Optimus nodded respectfully to Doc Greene and knelt, asking Chief, "Do you know how they managed to be taken into the time-portal?"

"No," said Chief, shaking his head, "Even Doc Greene is stuck."

The young lady hopped off of Optimus's shoulder and examined the time machine. "It could have something to do with their Energon," she finally said, "How did you activate it the first time?" She turned to look at Doc.

"Nuclear reactor," said Doc, "This... Energon is a source of power for them?"

"Yup. Just about as powerful as a nuclear reactor as well. The energy from the portal probably reacted to the Energon flowing through their bodies. Cody and Frankie were standing in the way when the Rescue Bots got sucked in. That's why they were included."

"Ah great," said Kade, rolling his eyes, "Another geek."

"That learned from other geeks." The young lady turned towards him and said, "I'm not a complete geek, just so you know. I leave that to Ratchet or... someone else. Would be kinda hard to explain right now."

"And who exactly is she?" asked Grahm, pointing to her while looking at Optimus.

"A friend," he replied, "We'll be able to explain later once we return."

"So how exactly are you going to open the portal again?" asked Dani as Optimus and Bumblebee strode towards the portal.

"Just need Energon," said the lady, "Or a slight Energon signature."

Optimus nodded. He bent down, extending a digit. Something resembling a electrical plug emerged from the tip, plugging into the consul. After a few moments, the portal flared to life.

Bumblebee beeped at the lady, extending his hand. She nodded, climbing onto it and moving to his shoulder. "How come she gets to go and we don't?" complained Kade.

The young lady cast him a look that instantly made him shut up. The two Autobots and human quickly moved into the portal, which closed behind them.

"Wow." Dani grinned and said, "Someone who can actually make Kade shut up with a look. I like that girl already."

* * *

Just as Morocco advanced on Cody, a whistle suddenly come from his right. As he turned, a thick boot caught him in the middle, pushing him backwards. As he looked up, a fist sent him crashing to the ground.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to pick on kids?" asked the older teenager, shaking her head in annoyance. She turned to Cody and Frankie and asked, "Cody Burns and Frankie Greene, right?"

The two kids nodded.

"Wait," asked Heatwave, still stuck to the wall with the rest of the Rescue Bots, "You know them? Who are you?"

"I'm Aria." She turned to the front of the hanger they were in and yells out, "In here!"

Optimus Prime and Bumblebee came through the hanger door. Bumblebee marched up to the control panel that was attached to the magnet and pulled it off. With several relieved grunts, the Rescue Bots hopped off the wall. Bumblebee knelt in front of Frankie and Cody and beeped a hello.

"Do you... know them?" asked Frankie, looking at Cody.

"Everyone except Aria," replied Cody.

Just then the alarms started blaring. "Robots! Escape!" yelled Cody, looking towards the Rescue Bots and the two Autobots. Everyone starts to rush out of the room, but then Heatwave turned, looking at Morocco, who was trying to get through the doorway unnoticed.

He gasped as Heatwave moved in front of him, blocking his escape. The fire truck bot's servo moved towards the ceiling, where he grabbed a bent pipe. He tore it off and soon, Morocco was pinned to the wall.

He quickly joined the others as Blades asked, "Wait! I'm confused! Bumblebee and Optimus live here in 1939?" He gestured towards the two Autobots.

"Chief Burns informed us of your time-travel dilema," explained Optimus, "We suspected you might need some assistance."

"You suspected correctly sir!" said Boulder, grinning in relief.

A siren suddenly filled their audials. "Odd," said Chase, "That sounds like... me?!" Everyone looked up towards the cliffs, where they could see several police cars headed towards the bunker where the time machine was.

"They're headed for our way home!" realized Aria.

"Rescue Bots!" declared Heatwave. He pointed towards the bunker and declared, "Roll to the... future!"

As they headed up the steep slope, Aria holding onto Optimus's shoulder while Cody and Frankie rode in Heatwave, the Prime decided to let Aria listen in on the conversation between Frankie and the Rescue Bots. Apparently, she had realized that the Rescue Bots were aliens during their little trip.

***Do you bots always have to do what Cody tells you to?*** she asked.

There came a loud chorus of responses from the Rescue Bots;

***Absolutely NOT!***

***Once in a while.***

***I take orders only from Chief Burns.***

***We have a choice?***

The Rescue Bots looked up as Aria burst out laughing. "Sorry!" she finally said, "But you guys argue louder than Miko! And you're more funnier!"

Heatwave snorted. "You should see some of the arguments me and Kade have!" he called up to her, "Now those are a hoot!"

A slightly confused look appeared on Aria's face. "They actually know what that means?" Aria asked Optimus.

"Apparently."

"So, who exactly are you?" asked Blades.

"Tell you when we get back to the future," she said to him. "And trust me, it will be slightly shocking."

They finally reached the entrance to the bunker, where Boulder lifted up the doorway. "Uh, there's a lady in there," said Aria, noticing a doctor step forward, a broom in her hands.

"Don't go any farther!" she told them as Heatwave stepped forward.

Cody and Frankie climbed out of Heatwave. "Doctor Hendrickson," said Frankie, approaching the older lady, "I know you're a nice person. You wouldn't let any harm come to us."

"But..." stuttered the lady, "Doctor Morocco-"

"He's not a good man," said Cody, stepping forward, "Now or... ever!"

Doctor Hendrickson mused to herself and said, "Seems some things are... timeless." She finally came to a decision. "I'll keep the others away for as long as I can!"

"Thank's doc!" said Aria, waving to her as Optimus stepped forward with Bumblebee and the rest of the Rescue Bots, headed down the tunnel.

"Thank you," said Frankie. She hugged the older lady and added, "Some day, you'll make things that help a lot of people."

"I will?" asked Doctor Hendrickson. She looked down for a few seconds before looking back up at Frankie and saying, "All right! I will!" As Frankie rushed to join the rest of the time travelers, the good doctor called after them, "Good luck!"

As the team finally reached the time machine, Frankie realized something, "Wait! Dither! Where is he?"

Cody looked around and said, "We must have lost him."

"If you're worried about how we're getting back to the future, don't be," said Aria from Optimus's shoulder, "It's how you guys got pulled here in the first place."

"Our Energon!" realized Boulder.

"It's just as powerful as what Dither used," said Aria, "Your Energon reacted to the machine and pulled you all here. I'm just worried about what might happen with Dither here."

"I'm pretty sure he has a recall sequence," said Frankie, "Maybe he'll make his way back."

Optimus raised his digit again, allowing the sparking connector to come out. He plugged it into the machine and everyone watched as the portal flared to life. Everyone turned, however when the door to the entrance of the chamber opened up. Morocco and several policemen charged forward, the scientist yelling out, "Stop them!"

Aria hopped off of Optimus's shoulder-plates. "Evil is no excuse for the law, or science!" she cried. Her gauntlets flashed brightly as she raised her hands. A force field halted the scientist and the police in their track. "That won't hold for long," said Aria, turning to everyone else, "Let's head home!"

Cody, Frankie, Bumblebee and the Rescue Bots headed into the portal, although Heatwave hesitated. "Heatwave," urged Optimus.

The Rescue Bot leader gave an angry growl and headed into the portal.

"Bye!" said Aria, waving as Optimus disconnected and grabbed her. The force field vanished as Optimus rushed towards the portal with his charge. He transformed around her and drove into the portal, which swiftly closed behind them.

* * *

As Optimus and Aria appeared from the time-portal, everyone gave sighs of relief. Bumblebee gave a few beeps of relief as well.

Aria looked around. "Wait, where is everyone?"

Everyone looked around as well. "Aria's right," said Cody, "There's no one here."

"I assumed we would only be returning a short while after our departure," said Optimus.

"Maybe everyone's just outside," said Frankie, "Dad! We're home!"

Everyone walked outside, where they stopped at the sight in front of them. "Frankie," said Cody, "I don't think we are home."

Griffin Rock had changed. a dark sky loomed over a dark town filled with flashing red lights and tall towers. Massive red banners dotted the wide streets and city blocks. Aria's eyes flashed as her vision zoomed in. "So," she commented, seeing the dark 'M' that were on the banners, "we did screw up the time-line."

"Uh," said Blades nervously, looking up, "What are _they_ doing here?"

Everyone looked up to see several gray and black robots descend from the sky. Their arms were cannons and they had red visors for their eyes. They floated on propulsion engines as their lead robot, with red on his arms and legs, declared, _*Unauthorized visitors to Moropolis- Identify yourselves.*_

"_Moropolis_?" asked Frankie as the lead robot's cannon charged up.

"Yeeeeaaah, that name just screams cringe," said Aria, rolling her eyes as her gauntlets lit up.

It was going to be a long trip home.


	21. Griffin Rock part 2

_Previously on Rescue Bots..._

_Griffin Rock had changed. a dark sky loomed over a dark town filled with flashing red lights and tall towers. Massive red banners dotted the wide streets and city blocks. Aria's eyes flashed as her vision zoomed in. "So," she commented, seeing the dark 'M' that were on the banners, "we did screw up the time-line."_

"_Uh," said Blades nervously, looking up, "What are they doing here?"_

_Everyone looked up to see several gray and black robots descend from the sky. Their arms were cannons and they had red visors for their eyes. They floated on propulsion engines as their lead robot, with red on his arms and legs, declared, *Unauthorized visitors to Moropolis- Identify yourselves.*_

"_Moropolis?" asked Frankie as the lead robot's cannon charged up._

"_Yeeeeaaah, that name just screams cringe," said Aria, rolling her eyes as her gauntlets lit up._

_It was going to be a long trip home._

* * *

Aria's own gauntlets glowed with blue energy as the lead robot's cannon charged up. She could hear Bumblebee beeping in confusion behind her. "I don't see the insignia, Bee," she said, "I don't think these are Decepticons."

"Not Decepticons," said Heatwave, crouched beside Frankie and Cody, "MorBots!"

"Doctor Morocco's version of us!" added Boulder.

"What did Morocco do to Griffin Rock?" asked Frankie.

"Whatever it was," Cody told her, a determined look on his face, "We have to _undo_ it!"

"Bumblebee and I will fend off these MorBots," said Optimus. He turned to Aria and said, "Aria, go with Heatwave and his team. Seek answers."

"Alright," she said, nodding, "Stay safe you two. Last thing I need is to explain to Ratchet how I lost you two in an alternate reality."

Optimus nodded to her, his battlemask coming up over his faceplates, a gold visor fixing itself over his blue optics.

"Two against five?" asked Heatwave, "Maybe I should-."

"Heatwave," said Optimus, "Lead your team! We'll find you!"

The Rescue Bot leader finally nodded. He transformed, allowing Aria to climb into his cab. The rest of the team quickly transformed as well, Cody and Frankie quickly climbing into Chase.

***Halt or be immobilized!*** called out the lead MorBot.

"No chance, bucketheads!" called out Aria as the team drove off. "Now let's find some answers. Although I have a pretty fair idea as to what happened to the time-line."

* * *

"Guys!" called out Blades, "You're being boxed in!" He noticed the MorBots from where he was flying above the team. The team quickly transformed, Blade's joining them.

"The stage!" said Aria, pointing, "Let's get below it!"

The team quickly scrambled below, listening as the MorBots tromped above them, not seeing them. "They're almost like Vehicons," said Aria, giggling slightly as the noise finally died down, "They look to the left and right, but they don't bother looking up or down."

"They seem to be moving on," said Chase, looking down at her.

"I'm glad the stage was still here," said Cody, "Everything else is so different!" He looked at his tiny radio on his jacket. "I wonder if...?"

"It won't work, Cody," said Aria, looking at him sadly, "The whole time-line has changed. Here, your dad and siblings are not rescue workers. I believe Morocco made sure of that."

"And my dad?" asked Frankie.

"He's probably not even on the island. His phone number possibly doesn't even exist."

"The Griffin Rock we knew is history," said Blades glumly.

An idea sparked in Frankie's mind. "So... it'll be documented!" she realized.

"At the Hall of Inspiration!" finished Cody, a grin crossing his face.

"Uh, the Hall of what now?" asked Aria, confused.

"It's sort of a holographic museum," explained Cody, "Every single bit of the islands history is there! If we're going to find answers, we'll find them there!"

Aria thought for a few seconds, then nodded and said, "We came here for answers. We might as well find them."

* * *

At the Hall of Inspiration, which was covered n Morocco banners and covered a dark gray, Heatwave carefully slid open a door and looked around. "Clear!" he finally said. He and the rest of the team walked in, looking around.

"Looks like the Hall hasn't seen any visitors," commented Boulder, looking around the dark environment.

Frankie, Cody and Aria walked up to the barriers. "Where's the holographic host?" asked the younger girl.

As Heatwave walked up behind them, Cody asked, "President Arthur? Are you- whoa!" At his voice, a holographic image appeared, showing a chubby, brown haired man with a mustache, and wearing black and purple clothes. _*What?*_ he asked.

Heatwave lunged forward, his servo passing through the man. _*Do you mind?*_ he asked.

"It's alright, Heatwave," said Aria as the Rescue Bot stepped back, "It's a hologram."

_*What are you all doing here?*_ asked President Arthur, _*There's no mandatory tours scheduled.*_

"We're new to Grif- I mean, Moropolis," said Frankie, quickly correcting herself, "and I wanted to know about the towns early years."

The holographic president cleared his throat and said, _*Well, in 1649, the first settlers arrived. They quickly-*_

"Um," said Aria, quickly stepping in, "We know that much. Could you skip to a bit later? Like maybe 1939?"

_*Oh, of course!*_ said the president, although he looked a little disgruntled.

"Why'd you ask that far?" asked Frankie.

"Because that was when we got there," whispered Aria, "The change had to be around there."

The president continued, _*1939. World-famous Dr. Thadeus Morocco made his indelible imprint on this island by inventing the MorBot.* _A hologram of a familiar yellow robot wearing a purple tie and a brown wig appeared beside the president.

"Dither?" said Frankie, recognizing the robot.

_*Credited with commencing in an era of technological prosperity, MorBot version 1.1 literally put Moropolis on the map!* _said the president, gesturing to the yellow robot.

"Why the name change?" asked Aria.

_*It was Dr. Morocco's suggestion,*_ said the hologram.

"So that's what went wrong!" realized Cody, "We left Dither behind!"

"And Doctor Morocco pilfered his technology!" added Frankie.

"So Doc Morroc built an empire from one household service robot?" asked Blades incrediously.

"And we made it possible," groaned Boulder.

"It is often said that all that is necessary for evil to triumph," said Chase, "is for Rescue Bots to trample the time-space continuum."

"I am very certain that you made that up." said Aria. "And we can un-trample the time stream! All we have to do is jump back to 1939 and get Dither back before Morocco can cut him open! Then we can get home!"

_*Perhaps someone else would like to explain history?*_ said the president hologram, very annoyed.

"No!" said Cody, "Because you're history is wrong!"

"But don't worry Mr. Prez," said Aria, "We'll be setting your history books right!"

Suddenly, a squeaking sound filled their ears. "Someone's coming!" said Heatwave, adopting a ready stance.

"Mr. President, bye!" said Aria. Suddenly, she recognized the figure heading towards them. "Wait! Heatwave! Don't shoot! Wait, do you even have any guns?"

"If he did, I'd shoot," came a familiar voice.

Cody jolted. "Dad?" he asked.

Coming towards them was Charlie Burns. He wasn't wearing a police uniform. Rather he was wearing a janitor suit with the Morocco emblem stitched onto the chest. He looked at the group of time travelers who were starring at him in shock, asking, "Who are you?"

"What?" said Cody, "it's me, your son, Cody!"

"I don't have a son," said Charlie, "And what's the big idea of bringing robots in here."

"Wait!" said Aria, holding up her hand. As Charlie turned to look at her, she gave a small sigh and said, "Thomas and Abigail Leira."

Charlie's eyes widened. "How do you know those names?" he asked in shock.

Cody and Frankie looked over at Aria, confused. Aria laid a gentle hand on the young boy's shoulder, then walked up to Charlie, unzipping her hoodie slightly and taking something from off her neck. Charlie looked shock when he recognized what was in Aria's hand.

Heatwave peered over her shoulder to see a small, silver-lined stone attached to a silver chord. "A necklace?" he asked, slightly confused.

Charlie picked up the necklace, pressing his thumb to the back of it. It glowed and an engraven message appeared on the back;

_To Abigail. With love, from Charlie, your brother._

"Where did you get this?" asked Charlie, looking up at Aria.

Aria smiled gently, tears coming to her eyes. "Uncle Charlie," she said gently, taking his hands, "It's me. It's Katie, your step-niece."

Cody's eyes widened. Frankie looked over at him and said, "You did not say that you had a cousin of any kind."

"I... I didn't know," said Cody.

Charlie continued to look over Aria, staring deeply into her eyes. He finally said, "How? You died with your parents. I was at your funeral."

"It's... difficult to explain," said Aria, "But... I'm from an alternate time-line where I survived, but I was greatly scarred." She touched her white, blue-streaked hair. "And that young boy is telling the truth." She looked over at Cody and said, "He's your son, but he's from an alternate time-line like me."

Charlie looked over at Cody, suddenly seeing the resemblance. "What did you say your name was again?"

"Cody," said Cody, smiling now.

"Uncle Charlie?" The older man looked over at his step-niece as she said, "We need your help. We can set all of this right, but we can't do it alone."

Charlie looked at her, then at Cody and Frankie, and finally at the Rescue Bots. He nodded and finally said, "If it means I can get you and my youngest boy back. Come with me."

Aria smiled, hugging her uncle tight.

* * *

"Dad, why didn't you tell us that we had a cousin!" exclaimed Dani.

The team had followed Charlie to the old fire house, which was now a mechanic's shop. The three Burns siblings- Kade, Grahm, and Dani- worked as mechanics for the island. And just like their father, they hated Morocco, though as Frankie put it, everyone on the island probably hated Morocco. They had all been eating dinner and sharing stories about what actually happened in the real time-line, and Charlie finally shared that Aria was the group's step-cousin.

"Katie and her parents died when Katie was only three," said Charlie, "It was hard enough to even think about them, let alone talk about it." He laid a hand on Aria's shoulder and said, "But when we set this right, you will know about her."

"But I didn't even know about her," said Cody.

"Well, your dad wanted to keep me hidden," said Aria, "When I was ten, I was attacked by the same people that killed Mom and Dad. To keep me hidden, I was shuttled around foster homes. They changed my name too. I'm Arianna Ariel now."

"That's a nice name," said Grahm.

"And I don't believe that there is a Doc Greene on the island," said Charlie, setting down a dish, "I wish there was. This place would be a whole lot funner."

Frankie looked down at her plate. "Don't worry Frankie," said Cody, "Your dad probably just lives somewhere else."

"I'm sure you'll see him again." added Dani.

Frankie managed a small smile.

Suddenly, the place started shaking badly. "Scrap!" yelled Aria, managing to stand, "They found us!"

The ceiling started to fall apart, a large chuck headed right for Cody. He gave a small gasp, then yelped as Kade tackled him and Frankie out of the way.

Charlie fell to the ground, the old TV coming off the ceiling and falling towards him. Before he could duck out of the way, a light surrounded the TV, causing it to stop in mid-air. He rolled out of the way and watched as Aria gently set the TV down. "That was close," he said, "Thank you."

Aria nodded, smiling. Everyone looked outside as the shaking stopped and a familiar voice said, _*Attention all rebels! Consider that a shot across your proverbial bow!*_

"Does anyone else hate this guy?" asked Aria, her gloves lighting up with red energy, "Because I do!"

"Downstairs!" said Charlie, turning to the group, "Hurry!"

Everyone quickly headed into the underground part of the mechanic's shop, where the Rescue Bots were waiting for them. They turned as Cody, Frankie, and Aria slid down the fire poll as the rest of the family arrived in the old elevator. "We can hide in the bunker!" said Cody.

"No, Morocco knows about it," said Grahm, "We'd just be trapped."

"This girl handles traps rather easily," said Aria, slamming her fists together.

"How do you know about it?" asked Kade suspiciously.

"I told you!" said Cody, "I grew up here!"

"They've walled us in!" said Boulder.

"Our apologies, Chief." said Chase, "It was not our intent to involve you."

"We don't want you to get hurt," said Heatwave, "So... we'll turn ourselves in."

"Guys, you can't," said Aria, "Morocco knows that your energy powers up the time machine. He gets his hands on you, not only will the island be changed, but the whole world will be!"

"Morocco can't be trusted!" added Dani, "He'll take you and he'll come after us anyway!"

"This is exactly why bringing outsiders in was a mistake!" said Kade.

"Sometimes bringing in the outside brings great change," said Aria. "This is a chance for you all to fight back! To help take back you home! Don't you want to help people? To save your friends and families? To be heroes?" She looked at them all.

"She's right!" said Charlie, "We talk about standing up to that tyrant Morocco, but we never do! Maybe a little push is just the thing we need!" He looked at Cody and Aria and added, "To bring heroes back to this town. It's what my step-sister and Thomas would want."

"Dad's right!" said Grahm, "We're as ready as we'll ever be!"

Everyone turned to look at Kade, who stood there with a grumpy expression. Finally, he said, "Well... if we're going to do this..." He strode over to a computer consul and pulled on a lever. He turned, grinning and added, "Let's do it right!"

The floor slid open, and a platform raised upwards, carrying a massive truck with it. It was a big as the Rescue Bots, with a red paint scheme and dashes of gold, blue and green, blue windows massive all-terrain wheels, and lots of rescue equipment on the sides. "Meet the Mobile Headquarters everyone," said Charlie, gesturing, "Big enough to hold a band of rebels or four Rescue Bots!"

"Noble!" whispered Cody.

"Coooooool!" cheered Frankie.

Aria, who had winced at the sight of the truck, said, "There would be a lot of guys who would be squealing their heads off at a sight like this."

_As a matter of fact, they are._

* * *

Morocco put up his watch and said, "Bring the house down! But the robots power source had better be salvagable!"

As the robots aimed at the building, the door suddenly burst open. Out came the MHQ, with Aria perched up on the top of it, her gauntlets alight with energy. "Hey! Mo- dork! I know that nickname is usually saved for a giant head on a floating chair, but it fits here!" Her hands raised up.

Several of the robots were taken apart, and Morocco dove out of the way as ht MHQ burst past him. "Nice shot!" called up her step-uncle.

"Thanks!" she said.

The MHQ barreled down the streets of Moropolis, smashing into every Morbot which got in its ways. Aria perched on top of the massive truck, firing her gauntlets at the airborne MorBots.

Inside the MHQ, the rescue Bots were enjoying their time being passengers. "I'm not used to being a passenger," commented Heatwave.

"It's kinda relaxing," said Boulder, sitting next to him.

"Heads up!" called out Aria. She fired her gauntlets at two airborne Morbots. She managed to destroy one, but the other one fired at their wheels, causing the vehicle to swerve out of control. Aria flew off, landing on top of the other MorBot. With a blast from her hands, the robot was taken apart. She flew to the ground...

...landing in Optimus's servos as he transformed. "We need to stop meeting up like this," said his charge, watching as Bumblebee took out several more MorBots with large steel cylinders.

"How is everything going?" asked Optimus, trying not to chuckle.

"Well, I found my step-uncle. And he and his family are helping to take down Morocco. Speaking of which, I think we'd better catch up with the rest of the gang."

Optimus nodded. He quickly transformed and the two of them joined Bumblebee, where they quickly reunited with the Rescue Bots. Heatwave quickly explained the plan- they were going to split up and rondevu at the time machine.

"Here comes Morocco!" called out Cody. Everyone looked down the road to see the lead MorBot heading straight towards them.

"Rescue Bots!" said Optimus, "Roll out!"

"Hey, I like the sound of that," said Heatwave.

"Sorry, it's already taken," called out Aria.

The six cybertronians with their respective human passengers and Charlie driving the MHQ took off in separate directions. The MorBots quickly split up as well heading after the Bots and vehicle.

Several MorBots were chasing the MHQ into a tunnel, only to be chase back out and smashed into several pieces by the heavy vehicle. Charlie drove the truck with a grim smile on his face. He was enjoying this. He quickly joined Grahm and Boulder, suceeding in taking out another Morbot.

Cody and Frankie gasped in Chase's vehicle form when they saw several MorBots land in front of them. Chas quickly swerved around their legs, causing the robots to turn and look in confusion. The two kids cheered.

"Please consider this as an example of how _not_ to operate a motor vehicle." said Chase.

Dani yelped when she saw that Blades was heading for the island's windmill generators. "Giant propellers! I am gonna be sick!" She raised her hands over her face as she yelled, "Copter! Stop! Please!"

"It's Blades. And don't worry," he assured her, "A very good pilot showed me how to do this." He dodged throught he spinning blades, a trick taught to him by his Dani. The MorBots weren't so lucky, and were shredded to pieces.

They quickly rejoined Boulder, Chase and the MHQ, which had Morocco and several more MorBots chasing after them. Just as the evil doctor was getting close to them, Optimus, Bumblebee and Heatwave knocked aside the other Morbots. For good measure, Heatwave bumped the back of the MorBot that Morocco was riding. The evil scientists screamed as he spun around in circles.

"That was AWESOME!" cheered Kade, riding in Heatwave.

They quickly sped after the rest of the team, who had reached the time machine. Heatwave let out Kade as Optimus did the same with Aria before he and Bumblebee transformed. "We must move quickly!" said the Autobot leader.

As the rest of the Rescue Bots transformed and stood, Cody and Frankie turned to Charlie and his family. "Sorry to leave you with such a mess," Cody told his family.

"Once you go through that time machine and fix the past," said Charlie, "everything here will change too."

"It's changed already," said Kade, grinning widely, a determined, fiery look in his eyes.

Dani walked up to Cody and laid a hand on his shoulder. "And if I had to have another brother," she said to him, "I wouldn't mind it being you." The two sibling shared a hug.

"Take the MHQ," said Charlie, "I have a feeling it might come in handy some day."

"Treat her with care buddy," said Grahm, "Okay?"

"We will," promised Cody. Aria hopped into the driver's seat with Cody and Frankie in the passenger side as the Rescue Bots climbed aboard the MHQ. Boulder turned and waved to the Burns family, saying, "See you all soon, I hope."

As the MHQ closed behind him, Charlie turned to the rest of the family. "Let's go team." Before they left the time machine room, Charlie turned and called out, "Aria! Make sure you tell your uncle that it's you!"

"I will uncle! Optimus, we're ready!" said Aria.

The Prime quickly knelt again, charging the machine. The portal soon flared to life and the MHQ drove through the portal. Bumblebee turned to the entrance, where Morocco was seen headed for them.

_*Don't let them escape! Go! Go! Go!*_ cried out the doctor as the robots gun fired. Bumblebee dodged the shot and lept into the portal after the Rescue Bots. Optimus quickly stood as well, charging into the portal, which then closed behind him.

_*Stop! Stop! Stop!*_ cried out Morocco. But it was too late. The MorBot crashed into the time machine, destroying it. Morocco hung from his pilot chair inside the robot, his purple monocle hanging from his vest.

* * *

_[1939- Time Machine room]_

Morocco peered into Dither's metallic body as he said aloud, "Well, you're no transforming robot. But you'll do quite nicely."

Suddenly, the time machine lit up. Morocco lept back as the MHQ barreled through, coming to a stop in front of the table that Dither was lying on. The side of the vehicle opened, showing the Rescue Bots. Heatwave quickly bent down, grabbing Dither from the exam table. "Property: re-aquired," he said in a flat tone, not wanting to reveal what he actually was to the evil doctor.

"Wha- but... how did you?" sputtered Morocco, very confused.

Optimus and Bumblebee walked through the portal, Optimus approaching the front of the vehicle. He looked at Aria, who nodded at him. He bent down and recharged the time machine again.

After a flash of light, Morocco looked up to see the MHQ and the two Autobots gone.

* * *

_[Present time]_

"The portal's opening!" called out Grahm as the time machine flashed brightly. Out of the portal came the MHQ, Optimus and Bumblebee. The group watched as the massive vehicle came to a stop just past the consul. Aria, Cody and Frankie climbed out of the cab of the large truck as the Rescue Bots climbed out of the vehicle as well.

"Dad!" called out Cody, seeing Chief Burns rushing towards him.

"Daddy!" called out Frankie, running to her own dad.

"Oh Cody," said Chief, wrapping his youngest son in a hug, "We've been so worried!"

Cody pulled back from the hug and said, "You won't believe what we had to do to get back here!"

The rest of the family came rushing forward. "Welcome home squirt," said Kade, rubbing his younger brother's head.

"Can't wait to hear all about it!" said Dani.

"Time traveling," mused Grahm, looking at the portal, "I'm pretty jealous."

"Don't be," pipped up Aria from next to Optimus and Bumblebee, "It's a pain in the neck."

Frankie and Doc Greene were happily hugging each other. "I missed you more than you'll ever know, daddy," she said, pulling back from the hug.

"Trust me my little Einstein," he told her, "I know."

Chief turned to the Rescue Bots and said, "Thank you... for bringing our kids home safely."

They had seen Doc Greene and they didn't know that he knew that they were aliens, so it wasn't much of a surprise to see them straighten and for Chase to say in a robotic voice, "Mission accomplished."

Frankie looked confused. "Why are you still talking like that? Everybody knows you're- whoop!" She quickly covered her mouth, remembering her dad was in the room.

Aria was stifling some sniggers as Doc looked at his daughter. "You mean there's more to these Rescue Bots than meets the eye?"

The Rescue Bots winced. But they looked pretty surprised when Aria started howling with laughter, slapping her knee.

Doc Greene joined in the older girl's laughter. "Just kidding!" he said, laying his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "Chief filled me in!"

"They were actually finishing up when we got here!" said Aria, wiping away a few tears of laughter.

"With your lives at stake," explained Chief, "keeping secrets any longer just... didn't seem necessary." He turned to the two Autobots and added, "Optimus, Bumblebee. We're forever in your debt."

Bumblebee beeped a few times. "Bumblebee is correct," said Optimus, "We simply assisted the Rescue Bots. Thanks to you, they have become an outstanding team. One it has been an honor to serve with."

"Us too," said Dani. The Burns family turned to their partners as the Rescue Bots started telling them about the alternate time-line and the past.

Heatwave, however, looked up, eyeing the time machine. "One thing is for sure," he said, "We're smashing that time machine."

"Yes please!" said Aria, cheering. "Time travel is not something to be trifled with!"

Cody was looking at the MHQ as his father joined him. "A rig this size could come in handy," he commented, "Who built her?"

Cody simply smiled. "A family of heroes," he said. Then, he rounded on Aria and said, "So are you gonna tell dad and the others?"

"Tell them what?" asked Aria, feigning confusion.

"You know!" said Frankie, grinning at the older girl.

"Maybe I will," said Aria, looking to the side.

The two younger kids looks turned grumpy.

"But I won't be saying anything if you keep on giving me those grumpy looks!"

That made their expressions morph into adorable puppy-dog looks, with wide eyes and quivering lips.

Aria couldn't look away for a few seconds. Then, she threw her hands up in the air and said, "Alright! Alright! I'll tell 'em!"

Optimus and Bumblebee were close enough to hear Aria mutter under her breath, "Flippin' Bluestreak."

The Prime couldn't help looking at Bumblebee as a loud squeak came from the yellow Autobot.

Aria heard the squeak and rolled her eyes. She walked up to Chief and held out her necklace like she had done in the alternate world. As before, Chief recognized the necklace. He pressed a finger to the back, where the engraven message appeared. He smiled and looked at Aria.

"Hi, Uncle Charlie," said Aria, smiling with tears in her eyes. She had been crying a lot lately.

"Hello, Katie." said Chief, smiling at his step-niece. The two of them hugged.

"WHAT?" cried the rest of the Burns siblings.

"We have a cousin?!" exclaimed Kade.

"Dad, why didn't you tell us?" asked Dani.

"I was supposed to keep her a secret," said Chief, turning to look at his family but keeping an arm around Aria, "Her parents- Thomas and my step-sister, Abigail- were brutally killed. I didn't have the permission to look after her since I was her step-uncle, but when the killers appeared again to try and kill her, they sent her into foster homes all across the U.S. Even changed her name. What was it again?" he asked Aria.

"Arianna Ariel," said Aria. She turned to the rest of the family and said, "And your expressions were the same as Cody's!" She burst out laughing again, doubling over and slapping her knee.

"How did she get involved with you?" asked Chief, turning to look at the two Autobots.

"It's a long story," explained Optimus, "But without her, I have a feeling many of us would have fallen already. You have a brave niece."

Chief nodded as Aria's step-cousins swarmed around her, begging her for her story."It's gonna be a long day," he mused to himself.

It would be worth it.

Aria didn't just tell them about her meeting the Autobots, but she also told them about her being connected to the Allspark, which frightened and awed the Rescue Bots. Everyone was awed when Aria showed them her powers in the bunker. When it was finally time for the Autobots to leave, she was sorry to say goodbye.

"Make sure you come back soon!" called out Dani as the Groundbridge opened.

"I will!" she told her.

* * *

**I thought I'd give the Allspark a little bit of a break. Well, there was one mention of them in this chapter.**

**Next chapter gets slightly sad, and it will be short, just a heads up.**


	22. Family Visit

**Note for all you readers, this chapter is going to be heart-jerking. Takes place during Aria's ninteenth birthday. (She was a few months after her eighteenth birthday when she met the Autobots.)**

* * *

Aria stepped through the Groundbridge, looking around at the small alley that Ratchet had bridged her to. She opened her phone and pressed a button, connecting her to the base. "I made it," she reported.

***Just make sure you stay safe, kid,*** said Agent Fowler on the other end, ***I don't think that M.E.C.H. is watching the cemetery, but be careful.***

"Can do," she said, "Over and out." She hung up and walked out of the alley, headed down the street.

She had come home to Richmond, Virginia. The place where her parents were buried.

* * *

About an hour later, she found herself entering the Richmond Cemetery. She glanced around, but didn't see anyone, even with her powers. She gave a small sigh and pulled up her hood, leaving the cloth-mask down.

It had only been a few weeks since she had returned from her adventure on Griffin Rock. Once she had gotten back, she realized that her nineteenth birthday would be coming up. Seeing her step-cousins had made her want to visit her parents graves. After some argument with Agent Fowler (and with Optimus Prime) the two of them finally relented.

So here she was, walking around a cemetery that was pretty much empty except for a few people in the distance. The Allspark was strangely quiet as well, although she suspected the guys were being respectful and giving her some privacy.

Finally, she found herself looking down at a pair of graves inscribed together; _Tomas Leira and Abigail Leira. A loving Mother and Father. May they live on forever in our hearts._

She stood there for several seconds, staring down at the two graves. Her powers searched around the gravestone, searching for any hidden devices. When she didn't detect any, she gave a small frustrated sigh. Boy was she paranoid!

She suddenly found herself speaking to two people that couldn't hear her.

"Hey mom. Hi dad. Sorry I haven't been here to visit you. I've been busy, being on the run and all. I really wanted to visit, but Agent Fowler wouldn't let me. I had to plead my heart out to come here.

"Nothing much has been happening. Well, if you look at the six years ever since I changed my name. Besides getting powers and meeting dead alien robots, things have been pretty boring. The guys in the Allspark are pretty cool if you don't include the crazy training sessions and classes." She gave a dry chuckle. "The places I've been to have been pretty boring as well. There were two people in Chicago that I got along with- Issac and Reyna Daily. They were pretty fun to be with."

She gave a sad smile as she thought of her two Chicago friends. It had been two years since she had seen them. She had to wonder how they were doing.

Pushing those thoughts to the back-burner, she continued. "Then we get to the past year. Met the living version of the alien robots. Huge planetary war that caused the Autobots and Decepticons to leave Cybertron and come to earth. Met them after Jack decided to climb on Arcee and she jumped into the gully where Raf and I were. Miko just decided to peek around the corner of the alley the next day according to Jack." She chuckled, thinking about the spunky asian teen. As far as she knew, Miko and the others were prepping a birthday party for her.

"Been having a lot of adventures lately. Mostly helping the bots fit in and hide in humanity. Found MECH again. Really shocked me. But eh, the whole thing with MECH popping up again had to happen again sometime.

"I've been partnered up with Optimus Prime. He's the leader of the Autobots, and the last Prime. I sorta think he cares about me a bit. And to be honest, I really care about him too. I never really got to know you dad. But if I did, I'd say you'd probably be acting a lot like Optimus. His holoform even looks like you. The guys in the Allspark kinda agree too. But it would probably be a bit weird to call him 'dad'. Then again... it would be nice to call someone that too, even if it's a giant robot from outer space."

She stood there in silence for a few seconds, then said what she had been thinking about since Jack's mom had been kidnapped by MECH. "Mom, Dad, I know I'm going to be in front of Silas one day. I'm going to fight him. I know it's a one-in-a-million chance that it could happen, but if I do manage to knock him down and he's in a position for me to... end him? What do I do? Do I kill him? Make him pay for killing you and ruining my 'normal' life? ...Ah, what the heck, I was probably gonna become an 'Allspark Child' even if Silas didn't attack us. Huh, 'Allspark Child'. Where did that come from? Kinda catchy though."

Aria gave another sad sigh and said, "I really miss you. I wish I could spend some more time here, but I think I had better get back before someone who isn't on my side decides to show up and attack me. Besides, Optimus and the rest of the team are probably going to get worried about me if I don't report in soon." She kneeled down, pulling a waterproof paper rose out of her pocket. She placed it on top of the grave and stood up, standing in silence for a few brief moments. Then with a sad smile, she left the cemetery.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter was short, but the next ones will be longer, I promise. See you all next time!**


	23. One Shall Fall

**And here we are coming close to the finale of part one of Allspark Child. Thank you everyone who's stuck with me for this story and thank you for your reviews and comments.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers Prime. I only own my OC, Arianna Ariel Prime.**

* * *

"And it was written in the Covenant of Primus, that _'when the forty-seven spheres align, a perpetual conflict will culminate upon a world forged from Chaos. And the weak shall perish in the shadow of a rising darkness',_" Optimus finished, his voice slightly grim.

"No skies raining fire?" asked Arcee as she and Bulkhead joined the Prime, with Ratchet on monitor duty and Aria on the catwalk.

"Goes without saying," said Aria, looking at the group. "It's a prophecy that sends chills down your spine."

"I say its a load of hooey!" said Bulkhead.

"I always assumed that the Ancients were referring to our home planet," said Ratchet, turning to look at them. He looked down as he continued. "But being that Cybertron has been dark for eons..."

"And considering what has befallen this planet since Megatron's arrival here," added Optimus.

They were interrupted by Bulkhead. "Whoa whoa whoa! We've known about these superstitions for ages and never given them a second thought!"

"Why all the ominous rumblings now?" asked Arcee.

"Because," said Optimus, "the planetary alignment, to which the prophecy refers, is nearly upon us."

"And it would seem its endpoint," added Ratchet, pulling up a map of the solar system, "is Earth."

Bulkhead and Arcee looked at each other. "Uhh... crazy coincidence!" said Bulkhead nervously, "r-right?"

"How long are we talking?" Arcee asked, deciding that this was serious.

"A few days," said Aria, "at most. But stuff may happen beforehand."

As Arcee and Bulkhead looked at each other, Optimus said, "However unsettling this revelation may be, I am more concerned about those who might believe that the prophecy speaks to them alone."

"Megatron might think that he's the rising darkness?" asked Aria, looking at the Prime.

"He might," said Optimus.

Aria gave a sigh, fiddling with her braid. "I'm gonna go for a flight," she decided. "I need some air after this." She gave them a respectful nod before heading into the elevator.

When she was gone, Ratchet said, "You didn't tell her?"

Optimus shook his helm as Arcee asked, "Tell Aria what?"

"There is another line in the prophecy," said Optimus, "one that only Primes can translate." He turned to the screen and read, "_'When the final battle rises, the two fronts will be together and the same. And in the end, the Allspark Child will lead the lost light home'_."

"'Allspark Child'?" repeated Bulkhead. "You mean Aria?"

Optimus looked over at Bulkhead and nodded. "I fear that Aria's destiny may unfold quicker than we realize. She plays a major part in this conflict, in more ways than one."

"I wonder what it means by 'lost light'," said Rachet.

Optimus looked down. He had a feeling he knew what it meant.

* * *

Several hours later, Aria came back into the silo to see Jack, Miko, and Raf on the younger boy's computer. "Pass," said Jack.

"What are you three up to?" asked Aria.

The three of them looked up. "You'll see," said Jack. As she sat down beside him, she saw that they were on a conspiracy website, scrolling through pictures.

"Nu-uh," continued Jack as Raf scrolled down. "Kid in a costume. Balloon. Nope. Oh wait- hold!"

They had come across a picture of Bumblebee's alt-mode, with a zoomed in area over the window covering his driver's seat. "Must've been before the holoforms," said Aria.

"We already found a few like this," explained Jack. "Camera sure loves Bee."

"What can you do?" asked Miko, falling back on the couch. "When you're a superstar, you're paparatzi bait!"

"Wait," Ratchet said behind them. "Is that Bumblebee?"

"On a conspiracy website," explained Raf. "Where users post evidence of close encounters. But we've got it under control Ratchet!" As he worked, he said, "We just scrub... and replace Bee with..."

A picture of a cat in a red jumpsuit and a propeller beanie replaced Bumblebee, saying, _*Mars Cat sez, take me to your feeder!*_

Ratchet snickered. "Haha," he laughed, then his face went into shock.

The kids were staring at him as well. "Ratchet actually laughed?" asked Miko.

"_Jazz got him to do that on a daily basis during the war!"_ pipped up Sideswipe. _"We never could though."_

"_Gee I wonder why?"_ Jetfire said scathingly.

Jack chuckled at Ratchet's reaction and turned to the main console. "Uh Optimus!" he called out. "Want to see something funny?"

"No," Optimus told him.

Noting Jack's slightly downcast face, Aria said, "Eh, don't take it personally, Jack-jack. I've only gotten him to slightly chuckle. And that's when he understands it."

"Yeah," said Arcee as the rest of the Bots joined the group. "Primes are built that way."

"Never seen Optimus laugh, cry, or lose his cool," added Bulkhead.

"While Optimus certainly keeps his emotions in check," said Ratchet, looking at Optimus out of the corner of his optics, "I've known him far longer than any of you have. And he was different before he was made a Prime."

"Optimus wasn't always a Prime?" asked Raf in astonishment.

"Except for the first Primes, Raf," explained Aria, "on Cybertron no one's born into greatness. Rather, you have to earn it."

"So," Miko asked Ratchet, "different how? We're talking... party animal?"

"No no," Ratchet said quickly. "Optimus was more like... Jack or Aria, at least when she's serious."

"What?" chorused the teens. They looked at each other as Jack said, "I'm nothing like Optimus."

"Me either," said Aria, blushing slightly.

"You'd be quite surprised you two," said Ratchet.

Just then, a call came in. ***Prime!*** It was Agent Fowler. ***Those tech-heists my perps have been tracking. We figured it was MECH on account of their stealth tactics. Until moments ago when a security feed at the Penington Apps Particle Collider captured this.*** An image of a thin, familiar-looking Decepticon popped up on the other screen.

"Soundwave," Jack said with a shudder.

"Raf could swap that out for you with a funny cat," quipped Miko.

"Not the time, Miko," said Aria.

***The Con without a face made off with a cutting-edge phase conductor. Here's a punch-list of everything else we've confirmed stolen to date.* **with that, his image was replaced with a list.

"Plasma injector," read Ratchet. "Neutron shield. Tesseract?"

"All these things combined together could build a Space-bridge," pointed out Aria.

"What is missing?" asked Optimus.

Aria pressed a hand to her forehead for a few seconds, then looked up. "A power source," she said.

"Is there any that would be powerful enough to operate a Space-bridge?" asked Optimus.

Raf was busy typing on his computer. "There's a U.S. military lab that's close to where Agent Fowler works," he reported.

"Did you get that Agent Fowler?" asked Optimus as the agent's image came up again.

Fowler nodded. ***I'll alert the lab.***

**I have a feeling that we'll be hearing from him tomorrow,** Aria said to Optimus.

**Why do you say that?**

**We're getting close to the alignment. If I were **_**him**_**, I'd be getting pretty antsy.**

**()**

What Aria predicted came true the next morning. ***The Cons really stepped into it this time,*** Agent Fowler said to Optimus. ***They hit the lab. Our boys in green will fend them off 'till your team shows.***

"Agent Fowler," said Optimus, "I fear that Megatron's deparation may be at its zenith. And you know that I cannot condone even a single human casualty."

As soon as Agent Fowler hung up, Optimus turned to the team and said, "Roll out! Ratchet, contact Bumblebee and tell him to meet us at the base."

"Right away, Optimus," said Ratchet. Once the team had left, he turned to the console but paused. "Where's Arianna?"

"I think she's up on top of the base," said Miko, pointing.

"I'll go get her," said Jack, headed towards the elevator. Ratchet nodded and turned back towards the console, working on contacting Bumblebee, who had Raf with him.

When Jack got to the top of the base, the sight that greeted him was rather startling.

Aria was sitting on the ground in a cross-legged position, breathing heavily. Bright white light, almost like light being reflected off a swimming pool, rippled across her body. Her hair, still in a ponytail, floated slightly behind her as if it was in a breeze.

"Uh... Aria?" asked Jack hesitantly.

Aria jolted upwards as the rippling light vanished off of her. She turned and gave a sigh of relief when she saw Jack. "Thanks, Jack," she said. "I was worried I wasn't gonna be able to come outta that."

"What was that?" asked Jack, sitting next to her.

Aria looked at the cloudy horizon for a long time. "I'm... not sure," she said. "It's been happening ever since I heard about that prophecy concerning planetary alignment."

"Think its got something to do with it?" he asked her.

"Maybe," said Aria. "Lets... lets head down. Its probably nothing." She stood up, heading towards the elevator, Jack walking beside her.

"You sure its nothing?" he asked.

Aria thought for a few seconds. She thought about what she had seen- Megatron, glowing with strange symbols as he raised his sword to strike Optimus down, a volcano exploding behind him.

"No," she finally said. "I'm not sure."

* * *

A few hours later, Ratchet opened the Groundbridge to a startling sight- Bumblebee and Arcee, with the femme carrying a comatose Raf.

"Raf?" called out Jack, rushing over to the railing with the two girls.

"No!" said Miko.

Aria flew over to Ratchet as the medic demanded, "What happened?"

"Megatron," Arcee said grimly.

"He's alive," said Aria, looking at Ratchet.

"Quickly! Into my laboratory!" said Ratchet.

Aria rushed over to the nearby closet and pulled out a medical bed, which Arcee placed Raf on. Jack joined them, pulling out a heart monitor and placing it on Raf's neck while removing the young boy's glasses. "Good thing my mom's a nurse," he said.

"Speaking of which," said Aria, turning to him, "you better call her. We're gonna need all the help we can get."

As Jack pulled out his phone, Ratchet said, "His mother may be a nurse, but does she know anything about the effects of energon on the human body?"

"Do you know anything about the human body?" Jack retorted.

Ratchet looked shocked, but stayed silent. Satisfied, Jack turned to his phone and said, "Mom. Its urgent."

Ratchet looked down at Raf. "'The weak will perish'," he recited. "Be strong, Rafael."

"He might not look the part, Ratchet," Aria said, sitting next to Raf. "But Raf is the strongest of us all."

* * *

Less than thirty minutes later, June's car came racing through the Groundbridge. Jack greeted her. "Mom! Thank-!"

"Grab my bag," she ordered her son. She raced over to Ratchet's laboratory, where Ratchet was scanning Raf with his arm-mounted scanner.

As June took the young boy's pulse, Ratchet told her, "Measuring the extent of the absorption should determine the proper course of treatment."

"If I don't get this boy stabilized now, he will not leave this table alive," June barked at Ratchet, "do you understand me?"

"Uh-!" Ratchet gave a small start, but nodded.

"Pull up your holoform," said June, "I need all hands on deck."

Ratchet quickly transformed, his holoform stepping out of the cab as Jack gave his mother her medical bag. "You can't heal him?" June asked Aria.

"Healing myself I can do," said Aria. "But others-?" She gave an angry sigh.

Bumblebee finally gave an angry growl, punching the wall next to him. All the humans jumped.

Arcee pinned Bee to the wall. "Bee! Listen. You think I don't know what its like to watch a partner... harmed? Revenge won't help Raf right now. You need to keep your emotions in check!"

Bumblebee looked over at Raf as Arcee let him go. He placed a hand to his helm. _*Oh Raf,*_ he murmured.

Aria flew up to Bumblebee's shoulder, gently stroking the yellow and black helm. "We'll save him, Bee," she said. "We have to."

* * *

A short while after that, Optimus' voice spoke on the com-link to Ratchet. ***Ratchet, how is Rafael?***

"It is too soon to know," said Ratchet, turning away from the bed.

***He's in good hands.***

"Not mine Optimus," said Ratchet, looking at June. "Curse my cybertronian pride! We've accepted these humans into our lives yet I bother to learn so little of their science or medicine."

***Pull yourself together, old friend,*** comforted Optimus. ***Rafael needs you.***

"And I... have grown to need him."

* * *

_[Nemesis]_

"Lock onto my coordinates and activate the Groundbridge," said Optimus. He turned as Bulkead gave a grunt, swinging the stolen generator onto his back.

"Ready!" said Bulkhead as a Groundbridge opened beside him.

Before the Wrecker could enter, Optimus strode up to him. "Bulkhead, return to base," he said. "There is something I must do."

"Wha- serious?" asked Bulkhead.

Optimus looked around the room as he said, "I have been foolish not to see what history has proven over and over again- that Autobots and Decepticons will never mend their ways. If there can be no diplomatic solution to this perpetual conflict, then I must not allow more darkness to fall upon this or any planet." He clenched his servo, closing his optics.

When he opened them again, a deep anger blazed in his optics. "Megatron must be destroyed!"

* * *

_[Omega-1]_

It had been almost an hour after Bulkhead had returned, and now everyone was gathered in the laboratory, watching as Ratchet and June worked on Raf, whose breathing was starting to shorten.

June straightened. "Jack, Aria," she said. "Help me get Raf to the car! He's going to the emergency room!"

"Nurse Darby," said Ratchet, turning to her while looking away from the pad that came with his holoform. "Your doctors won't be able to comprehend what's afflicting him. Not without a decade of study."

"Ratchet's right," said Aria. "The only place Raf can be saved is here at base."

Ratchet looked at his pad and froze, studying the readings he had gotten from Raf. He looked at them, then turned to Aria. Jack noticed the expression. "Ratchet? What is it?"

Ratchet walked over to Aria, grabbed her wrist, and touched her fingers to the back of Raf's hand. Aria instantly lept back with a yell of pain. "Ratchet! What the... heck?" Sudden realization dawned on Aria. "No," she whispered.

"It's not energon," said Ratchet, the grave look on his face growing deeper. "Rafael's been infected with _Dark_ Energon."

Everyone's faces turned to shock.

* * *

_[Volcano]_

Megatron watched as a Groundbridge swirled open a little ways away from him and Optimus stepped out. "Megatron!" he called out. "Today you answer for your crimes against Cybertron, and against humanity! One shall stand!"

"And one shall fall," finished Megatron. "You- Optimus Prime!"

The two leaders charged towards each other, yelling.

* * *

_[Omega-1]_

June looked at Raf in concern as Ratchet returned to his Autobot form and said, "If Dark Energon is devouring Raf from the inside-out, we must expel it, and fast. But I'm not sure how."

"I've got an idea," said Aria. "But we'll need regular energon for it."

June turned to her. "Wait," she said. "Ratchet just said that energon was devastating to humans."

"Under normal circumstances, yes," said Aria.

Ratchet suddenly understood what the young girl was saying. "But the Dark Energon should meet it head-on, not only protecting Raf, but also vaporizing it! Aria, you're a genius! Or," he turned to her as he picked up a container, "do I have to thank Perceptor?"

"Nope! All me!" said Aria proudly. "I pay attention in class."

* * *

_[Volcano]_

Optimus' and Megatron's fists clashed against each others faceplates. They both skidded back before they charged forward again, Megatron firing his cannon.

Optimus blocked it with his own gun.

The two of them tried to fire at close quarters, only for their blasters to get pushed out of the way, also exchanging blows and kicks. Finally, their guns were pointing down each other's barrels and when they fired, both leaders were sent flying back.

Optimus was the first to stand, putting his gun away. Megatron stood with a smirk, firing his own gun. Optimus' right sword came out, deflecting the shots away from him. He lept up into the air, aiming at Megatron, whose own sword unsheathed and met Optimus.

"Your defeat here was forseen by the Ancients," mocked Megatron. "What was it they wrote? 'The weak shall perish'?"

"Do not believe everything you read," quipped the former librarian.

As they started to sword-fight, Optimus couldn't help thinking to himself, _Amalgamos was right. Aria is rubbing off on me. _

* * *

_[Omega-1]_

As Raf's vitals started to get smaller, Ratchet placed the container of energon that Bumblebee had donated into a small slot next to the medical chamber. "I need him over here- now!"

Jack, Aria, and June quickly pushed the bed into the chamber as Ratchet typed on his console. When they were out and the door closed, Ratchet pulled on the lever.

Everyone watched as the chamber grew brighter, almost blinding everyone. Several beeps came from the console as the container glowed. After what seemed like forever, the chamber dimmed and opened.

All the humans and Bumblebee hurried into the chamber, Bee kneeling at the foot of the bed. AS June lifted the young boy's arm, Raf started to moan.

"Pulse rate is stabilizing," reported June.

Raf opened his eyes. "Bee?" he asked weakly.

_*Raf,*_ beeped Bumblebee.

Ratchet breathed a sigh of relief as Miko bent over, giving the young boy a hug. Raf gave a small smile, turning his head slightly. As Bumblebee reached over and gently stroked Raf's cheek, Aria said, "He'll be weak for a few hours, but he'll be alright."

"Optimus," Ratchet said into the com-link. "We did it."

Just then, Aria gave a scream of pain, falling to the floor with her eyes glowing. "Aria!" yelled Jack as his mother rushed to her side.

The glow faded as Aria sat up shakily with June's help. "I-I'm okay."

"What was that?" asked June.

Aria instead turned to Bulkhead. "Where's Optimus?" she asked.

* * *

_[Volcano]_

Optimus blocked Megatron's blade and pushed Megatron back, who swung back at him. He repeated this several times before Megatron punched Optimus and kicked him away.

The Prime's sword sheathed, and he gave an angry yell as he transformed, driving on a small hill and smacking his vehicle mode into Megatron, causing the warlord to fall off the cliff. Optimus transformed, the wheels on his back leg moving over his peds. When he landed, his foot was on Megatron's face, and he allowed the wheels to spin until Megatron grabbed Optimus by the face and tossed him off.

But Optimus' plan had worked. He now rapidly punched at a blinded Megatron, hitting his helm and middle. Just as Megatron's sight cleared, Optimus rushed forward, decking the Decepticon leader to the floor.

Megatron managed to sit up as Optimus walked forward, his sword coming out. "My... destiny," murmured Megatron as Optimus pinned him to the ground again, "this isn't... how it's... supposed to end!"

"On the contrary, Megatron," Optimus said, raising the sword. "I could not have allowed this to end, otherwise."

Then, the volcano exploded as Optimus' sword came down. The Prime's optics widened in shock.

Megatron had somehow pushed him off, sat up, and grabbed the blade in his hands. When he looked up, his optics were glowing as symbols ran across the violet parts of his body.

* * *

_[Omega-1]_

"Bulkhead," said Arcee angrily, "you let Optimus face Megatron alone?"

"I didn't have a choice," Bulkhead said, defending himself.

"He gave you the look, didn't he?" asked Aria, who was sitting next to Raf's bed as June gave him a check-up.

"It could be a trap," said Ratchet at the console. "We need to get a fix on his location!"

* * *

_[Volcano]_

Megatron gave a growl as he stood, still holding Optimus' sword in between his hands, his optics glowing sinisterly. Optimus gave a grunt as he tried to hold Megatron in place.

"How was it that you put it Optimus?" asked Megatron. "'I could not have allowed this to end otherwise'?" Then with a mighty pull, he snapped the blade in half and stuck it in Optimus' right shoulder.

Optimus tried to fight, but Megatron started to slam his suddenly strong fists into Megatron's body, leaving even more dents. Finally, a massive punch sent Optimus flying through the air and landing on his back.

Optimus felt weak and dizzy. The only things he noticed was the sun darkening as a solar eclipse happened, and Megatron stalking up to him, his optics flashing in time with the lightning that struck the ground around him.

Optimus reached up, pulling out the piece of sword that was stuck in his shoulder. Before he could stand, Megatron pinned him down, an evil grin on the warlord's faceplates.

* * *

_[Omega-1]_

"I'm locked onto Optimus's signal," Ratchet reported. He suddenly stopped, studying the readings. "Wait... how is this possible?"

"What?" asked Arcee. "What is it?"

Ratchet stood there, frozen for several seconds. Then he whirled around. "We need to get Optimus out of there- NOW!"

* * *

_[Volcano]_

Megatron looked up as the volcano started to explode even more, sending large chunks of glowing violet rocks into the sky. He gave an evil laugh. "Well well," he said. "It seems the Blood of Unicron I've been seeking is not up there, but rather, right here!"

Optimus' optics widened. "Dark Energon," he whispered. "Erupting from the Earth?"

Megatron drew his sword and raised it above his helm, ready to deliver the killing blow. "A question, Optimus," he said, "that you shall take to your grave!"

Optimus tried to get up, but the Dark Energon was starting to affect his systems. He was helpless.

Before Megatron could swing the sword downwards, a Groundbridge opened. Before he could react, Bulkhead slammed into him, knocking him off Optimus. He continued to knock the warlord back, away from his leader.

Arcee appeared through the Groundbridge next, back-flipping over Optimus. She stood and gasped at the sight of the volcano erupting Dark Energon.

Ratchet appeared next to her. "Quickly!" he said. "We must pull him through!" Arcee joined him in pulling an injured Optimus upright.

Megatron blocked one of Bulkhead's punches, knocking him back. Bulkhead retained his footing and growled at the Decepticon leader.

"Bulk!" Bulkhead turned towards the Groundbridge, where he could see Arcee calling out to him with Ratchet supporting Optimus. "NOW NOW NOW!"

Bulkhead quickly transformed, driving towards the Groundbridge with Megatron hot on his heels. He transformed, leaping into the Groundbridge with a yelp.

Megatron gave an angry yell as he slashed at the Groundbridge with his sword, which was covered in purple flames. Before his blade could touch it, the Bridge disappeared.

Megatron pulled his sword out of the ground and sheathed it, giving an angry growl. With the tip of his finger, he wiped away a small drip of Dark Energon, his optics lighting up.

"This," he proclaimed, "is merely the beginning! I now posses enough Dark Energon- to reanimate Unicron himself! Hehahahaahahaha! YEEEEEEES! HAHAHAHAHAAAAA!"


	24. Two Shall Rise: Part 1

_[Omega-1]_

Bumblebee quickly opened the Groundbridge, turning to the returning Autobots. Optimus Prime was leaning heavily on Ratchet and Bulkhead, with Arcee bringing up the rear. The Prime was covered in cuts and dents, and energon dripped off his right shoulder.

"Easy, Optimus," urged Ratchet as they continued to help Optimus into the base. "From the looks of things, you've been exposed to a massive amount of Dark Energon."

Optimus lifted his weak helm, seeing Raf on the medical bed with Aria and June next to him. Aria was being given a check-up. "I... am not the only one," he replied weakly.

Ratchet and Bulkhead set down Optimus on the medical berth next to the three humans. Once he was sitting, Optimus clutched at his shoulder, giving a small moan. He looked to his right, managing to give a small smile to Raf.

"Hey," said Raf.

"How you feeling?" Aria asked, turning to look at her guardian.

Optimus gave a small wince. "I have been better," he admitted.

"I think it's safe to say that we're all lucky to be alive," said June, looking up from Aria.

Optimus gave a nod, wincing once more from the pain. Ratchet came forward then, holding a metallic cloth, which he pressed to Optimus' shoulder once his hand had been removed.

Jack and Miko came down the stairs. "Megatron found more of the dark stuff?" asked the older boy.

"A volcano full," answered Arcee.

"The question is; how!" said Bulkhead.

"No," corrected Ratchet. "The question is; what. As in, what in the world is the Blood of Unicron doing here on Earth?"

Miko pipped up, confused. "The Cons killed a unicorn?"

There came a massive slapping sound. "Miko," sighed Aria as the Autobots gave confused looks. "Do you want my headache to get worse?"

Noting the confused expressions on everyone's faces, Miko explained. "White horse with a horn on its head? Prances around all sparkly?"

"_Unicron_," Ratchet corrected again. "An ancient evil. Whose fossilized blood comprises the matter which we call Dark Energon. As... legend would have it."

"Oh no, Ratch," pipped up Aria. "It's true. I talk to the Primes on an almost daily basis. They mentioned Unicron a lot in my early days."

"So, this Unicron isn't some kind of bogeyman?" June asked her.

"Bogeyman?" asked Ratchet in confusion.

"Make-believe creepy guy who hides in your closet," clarified Miko.

"Nope," said Aria. "Unicron is very real. He's just been gone for the past couple of eons or so."

June gave a sigh and pressed a hand to her forehead. "I guess it's too late to pull all you kids out?" she asked.

"Pretty much," said Raf.

"Nurse Darby." June turned to Optimus. "I never wanted to put the children in danger. If they would listen to me, they would be sent home."

"Not happening, Optimus," said Jack. "This became our fight a long time ago. We're staying to the end."

"Don't worry, Optimus," said Aria. "We can take care of ourselves as well as taking care of you guys."

Optimus gave a small vent that sounded a bit like a sigh, but he smiled. "I will never get over how brave your species can be.," he said, smiling at her.

"That's what a lot of bots in the Allspark say," said Aria, grinning.

Just then, the console beeped. Agent Fowler's image appeared. He appeared to be flying a helicopter. ***Prime! Do you copy?***

Optimus managed to stand with a bit of help from Ratchet. "I hear you, Agent Fowler."

***Been watching the news?*** asked the agent. ***Mother Nature's got a twitch in her britches.***

"We know about the volcano."

***And the quakes?*** At the Autobots expressions, the agent clarified. ***Seven major trembles of the exact same magnitude and at the exact same time as the volcanic eruption. All over the globe, on different tectonic plates, in theory, unrelated, if they hadn't happened...***

"At the exact same time," finished Ratchet.

"Check it out!" Miko called over from the TV. "More good news."

She turned up the volume as the reporter said, _*Freak storms unlike any the region has seen. Tsunamis threaten the Canadian coast. While lightning storms pummel the Gobi Desert. Meanwhile, electro-magnetic anomalies plague urban power grids. These abnormal phenomenon leave many to wonder, 'Why now'? And 'what next'.*_

***Don't tell me your Cons have built a weather machine!*** said Agent Fowler.

"One that powerful?" asked Ratchet. "Highly unlikely."

"I do not believe the appearance of Dark Energon at this point in time to be coincidental," said Optimus.

***I'm on my way over to your base now,*** said Agent Fowler. ***I hope you've got a bit of good news for me when I get there.*** With that, he hung up.

Aria stood up, swaying slightly. "Aria, take it easy," June scolded slightly as she held her.

"Aria, what is it?" asked Optimus, looking at her in concern.

"I'm... I'm not sure," she finally admitted. "I feel like... I'm being attacked or something."

"By what?" asked Jack, looking at her.

"I don't know," said Aria. "The Allspark has been pretty quiet today as well. At least, ever since Raf came in."

Raf had been moved up onto the catwalk by Bumblebee and was now resting on the couch. June started climbing up to join him. "As soon as this is over, I'll try and take you to a doctor's office," she told him.

"I'm feeling fine now," said Raf.

Optimus bent down, holding out a servo to Aria. She climbed onto his servo and held on as the Prime lifted her up onto the catwalk as well. "Try not to lose your balance, alright?" he said.

"I'll be fine," said Aria.

She turned to the TV as the reporter said, _*The storms and natural disasters have turned into a global phenomenon.*_

"'Global'?" repeated June, crossing her arms.

_*And,*_ added the reporter, _*scientists are linking it to the current planetary alignment.*_

That was when the elevator slid open, allowing Agent Fowler in. "What did you learn, Prime?" asked Fowler. "And you better not blow smoke up my- oh!" He noticed June standing next to her son and Raf. "Nurse Darby. What a nice surprise," he said politely.

"Special Agent Fowler," greeted June.

Before any more pleasantries could be exchanged, Ratchet interrupted. "We've learned this. As with the so-called magma from the volcano, these earthquakes originated deep below the Earth's crust. From the very center of the Earth's core, in fact."

"Quakes don't start there!" exclaimed Fowler. "Do they?" he asked June.

"They don't," said Aria, joining them at the railing. (Optimus was standing close to her as she did that) "They actually start a little below the crust, by the mantle moving the tectonic plates. This isn't that?"

"No," said Ratchet. "These are different. Tiny tremors rising and falling, almost like..." He trailed off, staring at the reading for a few seconds before his optics widened. "By the Allspark," he whispered in horror. "If I convert these data-points to audio file..."

"What?" asked Fowler as Ratchet started typing into his console. "What is it?"

"Listen," said Ratchet.

A thudding noise came from the computer as the data-points on the screen started to change. Everyone jolted as they recognized the sound.

* * *

_[Nemesis]_

Soundwave's screen was showing what looked like a heart monitor to Megatron and Airachnid. "Stop, Soundwave!" yelled Megatron, clutching his helm. "Turn it off!" And even when Soundwave did, the sound continued in his helm. "I can still hear it pounding in my brain!"

* * *

"A... Cybertronian heartbeat?" asked Jack finally.

"How is that even possible?" said June. "A heart pumps blood! There's nothing in the Earth to pump except..." she trailed off, realization striking her.

Raf was the one who said it. "The blood of Unicron."

A few moments after Raf said that, Aria screamed, clutching at her head, and toppled off the railing. "Aria!" yelled Miko.

Optimus quickly caught her, watching as her body started being covered in rippling white light. "Aria? he murmured, worry filling his spark.

"Optimus..." came the pain-filled whisper. "Chaos... Bringer..."

And with those final ominous words, Aria fell unconscious.

* * *

"She's stable," reported June, lowering Aria's light-covered arm. "I just don't get why she reacted like that." She turned to Optimus and Ratchet, who were watching, and asked, "Have you seen this before?"

"We have," said Ratchet. "First time we saw it was when Megatron first came with Dark Energon. Aria tried to grab it telekinetically and injured her hands. And the energy from the Dark Energon weakened her very badly. She has the reaction whenever she's close to Dark Energon."

"But there isn't any Dark Energon in here," said Fowler. "So what's settin' her off?"

Optimus had been silent, but now he spoke. "She said one thing," he said. "'Chaos Bringer'."

"Okay, hold on!" said Miko, who was perched on the railing. "You mean something's living down there? Inside our planet?"

"I fear that the Earth's core is not comprised of magma as your science has suggested," said Optimus, "but, of Dark Energon."

"And if we're hearing a spark," realized Ratchet, placing a servo to his chin, "then Unicron is the rising darkness of which the prophecy foretold."

"So, how do we stop this thing from rising?" asked Fowler.

"That I'm afraid," said Optimus, "was not foretold."

"How can something be in our core and be alive?" asked June.

"Such a thing is not unprecedented," said Optimus. He paused for a few moments before continuing.

"Before the beginning, there was Primus and there was Unicron. One the incarnation of creation. The other of destruction. For eons, Primus and Unicron battled. The balance of power shifting between them more times than could be counted.

"Only by creating the Thirteen, the original Primes who preceded me, was Primus finally able to defeat Unicron and cast him out.

"Primus became one with the very core of our planet, creating life through the Well of Allsparks. And Unicron was never seen or heard from again... until now," Optimus finished.

Agent Fowler had an idea. "Maybe we can find the hole this uber-con built when he dug himself all the way down there and fill it full of explosives!"

"Agent Fowler," said Optimus. "I do not believe that Unicron became one with your planet, but rather with time and gravitational force, debris collected around the slumbering titan."

"Forming your Earth itself," finished Ratchet. A look of horror crossed Agent Fowler's face.

"And he's only awakening now due to the magnetic pull created by the planetary alignment!" realized Arcee.

"Okay," said Jack, "so what happens now when the big U wakes up from his billion-year nap?"

"Yeah," said Miko. "Does he like stretch and 'kapow!'? Earth poofs to dust?"

Optimus remained silent, appearing to think.

"You don't know, do you?" asked June.

Optimus finally talked. "My guess is that Unicron has transcended his physical form as we know it. Nonetheless, we must find a way to stop this 'force of nature' from ever fully awakening. The very survival of your planet depends upon it."

After a few moments, Bulkhead asked, "So, what role does Aria have to play in this? Does it have something to do with that part of the prophecy that talks about her?"

"What prophecy?" asked Raf.

"There's a prophecy that explains about this happening," said Ratchet. "But there's a part that not very many people know about. And what Optimus recently told us." He looked over at Optimus.

Optimus nodded and recited. "_'When the final battle rises, the two fronts will be together and the same. And in the end, the Allspark Child will lead the lost light home'._"

"Two fronts?" said Fowler in confusion.

"Is 'Allspark Child' Aria?" asked Miko. "If so, then that's a cool name!"

"You're right, Miko," said Optimus. "Aria is called the Allspark Child, from what I have managed to learn."

"But two fronts?" said Fowler. "I figure you'll be one of the fronts, but where's the second one?"

"Uh, what's a front?" asked Miko.

_*It's a place where two armies clash,*_ said Bumblebee with Raf translating.

"Agent Fowler," said Optimus. "This battle will be both a temporal and a spiritual one. And Aria will lead the spiritual charge. As far as we know, Aria could be fighting right now."

June looked over at Aria's light-covered body. "Is there anything we can do for her?" she asked.

"No," said Optimus.

"Except move her to another room," said Ratchet. "There are a few rooms down the hall. Aria moved some stuff into them in case someone had to sleep here. Should be ready."

Optimus transformed, activating his holoform on the catwalk. He moved over to Aria, gently lifting her up. "This way," he said.

As he, June, and Jack moved down the hall, Optimus gave his charge a concerned look. _Fight hard, Aria,_ he thought. _We need you... I need you._

_To lead me home._

* * *

"Hello?"

Aria continued to walk. She couldn't recognize any of her surroundings, not like there was much to begin with. The only things that she could see were massive towers of clouds, some colored a dark blue while others were a dark purple. Often there came a flash of lightning from above the clouds. Light blue mist covered the ground, swirling around her feet.

Aria tried to think. How did she even get here? Her gloved hands rubbed her head as she gave an annoyed sigh. Suddenly, she remembered. Optimus had caught her after she had toppled off the railing. She had felt like she had been about to explode.

"Still doesn't explain how I got here," she sighed angrily.

As she kept walking, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. It was an image, showing Optimus in a canyon. He was looking around wildly as figures erupted out of the ground and out of the walls around him.

And Aria recognized them. "Oh no," she whispered.

Then, there came a whisper behind her. _"The Allspark Child."_

Aria turned, seeing a pair of glowing violet optics behind her in one of the purple columns of smokey clouds. "So that is what I'm called," she said, clenching her hands.

"_And do you recognize me?"_ came the again.

"Unicron," she growled. "The Chaos Bringer."

"_Gooooood,"_ said the voice as the figure stepped out of the column. It was made out of the violet smoke, the shape slightly shifting through an unknown wind. There weren't many features except for the spiked shoulders and armor and the two curved horns sticking out above the head, as well as towering above her, taller than Optimus. Aria took a nervous step back.

"_Now I shall have another title,"_ said Unicron. _"The destroyer of the Allspark Child!"_ He charged forward, glowing weapons surrounding his hands.

Aria lept back, shooting out several beams of energy before flying up into the air, taking up her Night Fury form. She flew through the air with Unicron firing after her. She turned a corner and fired at him, only for him to dissolve and pop up somewhere else.

_Ah great,_ she thought before she was hit by a bolt of lightning and sent falling to the ground. She hit the ground, coming out of her form.

Unicron moved above her as she moved into a slightly sitting up position, lightning crackling over her. She was wincing slightly from the pain she just went through. _"The line of Primes has grown weak,"_ scoffed Unicron. _"And the so-called Allspark Child couldn't stand up to a tiny insect! Your time has come! Today you shall end!"_ Unicron raised his hands again, energy gathering at them.

"I might die one day," said Aria, her crystal blue eyes glowing, "but that's certainly not today!" She raised her hands.

A beam of blue-white energy shot from her hands, striking Unicron in the chest. As the apparition fell back, Aria lept up into the air, another beam of energy taking a different shape in her hands. When Unicron looked up, he was sheared from top to bottom by a glowing sword twelve times as big as Aria.

She landed on the ground as the smoke whirled around, heading back into the column that it had come from. Aria allowed the sword to dissolve as she said, "Well that's a new one! And that could've gone better. But in all honesty, I thought you would be a bit tougher."

Then, from around the columns came more figures, all of them in the shape of Unicron. _"Yes Allspark Child,"_ they said at the same time. _"On this very day! You are alone! Primus cannot protect you in a place where he cannot reach! Today is the day that you shall fall for good!"_

Aria looked around and gave an irritated sigh. "I just had to open my mouth, didn't I?" she asked to no one in particular. Then a look of determination crossed her face.

She raised her hands again, allowing beams of energy to erupt from the ground around her. They moved around her, taking the shape of various weapons; A sword, a scythe, a spear, a gun, and a bow.

"I might be human," she said as she floated up in the air slightly, "but that doesn't mean that I won't fight!"

And with that, she charged into the shadowy ranks, swinging and shooting.


End file.
